My Body, Your Soul
by agent000
Summary: A girl puts on a costume of Edward Elric, and got way more than she bargained for. Plot based on an urban legend. Some spoilers may or may not show up.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, everyone! Welcome to my new story. I have no idea how good it is, but it's been bothering me to write it for the past few days, so I finally gave in and wrote it. Let me know what you think of it, and if I should continue this story or not. Hope you enjoy it.**_

"Katie, are you ready? Your friends are down here waiting for you!" my dad called from downstairs.

"I'll be there in a minute," I replied.

Today was Halloween night. My two best friends, Tammie and Sheila, and myself were going trick-or-treating together. While I had tried to convince them to dress up as Al and Winry from Fullmetal Alchemist, so that our party could have a theme to it, they insisted that they wanted to be what they wanted to be. Tammie dressed up as a fairy, and Sheil went as that elf woman from Lord of the Rings.

Me, I'm going as Edward Elric. Since my friends aren't joining me in my theme, I decided to make up for it by having as accurate a costume as possible. My dad and I went around to a lot of thrift stores in the past few weeks to find just the right items for my costume. We even found a blond wig to cover up my brown hair, and something that looked and awful lot like auto-mail to slip over my arm and leg. Talk about lucky!

The only thing that I couldn't pull off was getting Ed's golden eye color. "I am not going to allow an eleven-year-old girl to wear contacts," my dad had said. That sucks. Oh well, the rest of my costume was cool.

I began putting on the various parts of my costume: shirt, pants, auto-mail, silver watch, boots, wig. Then, when I slipped the red jacket on, I felt a strange sensation. I shook my head. The sensation left. I wonder what that was about, I thought.

"Oh my gosh! Look at the time!" I said. I bounded down the stairs only to see the annoyed looks of frustration on my friends' faces.

"We've been waiting for you," said Tammie, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry," I said.

"Well, we'd better get going then," said Sheila.

We went down the street, knocking at all the doors and getting our bags filled up with candy. It was a lot of fun, but I felt…strange…somehow.

Finally, at the last house on our street, Sheila turned to me and said, "Kate! Did you dad actually let you wear those contacts you wanted?"

"Uh…no," I said, "That's why I'm not wearing them."

"Then how come your eyes are that color?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? My eyes are blue," I said.

"No, they're not," she said. Sheila reached into her purse, which she always had with her, and pulled out a small cosmetic mirror. "See for yourself."

I took the mirror from her, looked into it, and gasped. My eyes were golden! How could that be?

"Kate, are you sure that you're not wearing contacts?" asked Tammie. I nodded my head furiously. "Then, maybe you're just sick?" she guessed.

"Sickness could possibly turn my eyes yellow," I said, "But not golden."

"Forgive me for what I'm about to do, Kate," said Tammie. She reached up and grabbed the braid on my wig, then proceeded to give it a sharp tug.

"Owch!" I said.

My friends looked astonished. I was too. My wig should have come off when she'd pulled on it.

Then, I felt myself backing away from them. I backed into a wall, and put both of my hands out in front of me. "Please…Please, don't hurt me," I said.

"Why do you think we'd hurt you?" asked Sheila.

"I-I just don't want to die again," I said.

"Die AGAIN?" said Tammie, "You never even died once, Kate."

"Please, just don't hurt me. I won't harm Katie, I promise."

"What the…" Tammie began.

Suddenly, my legs gave way, and I dropped to the ground. I was shivering. "What…What just happened?" I asked.

My friends didn't know what to say. The three of us remained silent for several minutes. Finally, I spoke up, "I-It felt like something was controlling my body. I kept trying to regain control, but I couldn't," I cried, "I'm really scared."

My friends were obviously scared too, but they didn't leave my side. I never knew that they cared so much about me before that moment.

"M-Maybe it was a ghost," said Sheila, "It IS Halloween, after all."

"If it is," I said, "How do we make it leave me alone?"

"Maybe we should talk to it, and find out who it is first," said Tammie.

"No! P-Please d-d-don't!" I said, as I continued to shiver.

"If we don't, we may never know how to help you," said Tammie.

I continued to shiver. I knew that she was going to try to talk to whoever or whatever had possessed me, and the thought terrified me. I didn't want to have that experience again.

"I need to speak to whoever is bothering Kate," said Tammie.

I closed my eyes. By the time I opened them again, I could tell that I had once again lost control.

"Please, don't hurt me," the voice inside me said, "I promise; I won't harm Katie in any way."

"Why do you possess her?" said Tammie.

The person inside me choked, and then said, "I'm so sorry, I really am. I was killed a long, long time ago, and my spirit was bound to my clothes. These clothes got scattered all across the city. I was stuck here. I couldn't even move on. Finally, Katie collected all these clothes that I was bound to and put them on her. As soon as she did that, I transferred my spirit into her body. I am finally among the land of the living once again, and I don't want to die."

"How dare you do that to Katie, it was her body!" said Tammie.

"It still is," said the person inside me, "I didn't hurt her, and I let her control the body the majority of the time. I only show up when I need to."

Tammie sighed and looked around for a moment, as if trying to think of something to do or say. Finally, she turned back to me and said, "Ok, look, who are you, anyway?"

"My name," said the voice inside of my, "Is Edward Elric."

My friends jumped back. Even I jumped. I had never dreamed I'd ever get a chance to meet Edward Elric, let alone become him. I was still nervous, but not quite as terrified as I had been before.

"E-Edward," I said shyly, "Why can't I remove this wig, and why do my eyes look like yours?"

"I'm sorry," said Edward, "I didn't see that coming. You must've taken on some of my physical characteristics when I moved into your body. Truth be told, that wig is actually made out of my hair, which is probably why it bound itself to you."

"But, what if I get in trouble?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'll think of some way to keep your parents off your back. I won't let you take the blame for what I've done," said Edward.

"But they'll never believe this story. They'll just think that I wore contacts and dyed my hair. I'm going to get in trouble," I said, as I buried my face in my hands.

"Look at your right arm," said Edward. I pulled back the sleeve of my right arm to view the auto-mail underneath. Upon closer examination, I saw that my arm was no longer there, and that this arm had turned into real auto-mail.

"How did that happen?" I asked.

"Again, I don't know," said Edward, "But that should convince your parents."

"But I don't want to scare them," I said.

"I'll think of something else then to keep them off your back," said Edward, "That auto-mail will just be a last resort."

(We can also communicate through our minds, since we're in the same body,) said Edward, (People would probably think you were crazy if you spoke out loud to me in public.)

(Good point,) I thought back.

Then, Edward stood up, and said, "I hope that I didn't ruin your night. I'll leave control of this body to Katie the rest of the night, so that you girls can have your fun."

I felt him let go. I was me again. This whole situation was very weird, but I was no longer afraid. I know that Edward would never harm me, so I quit resisting. I decided to just accept it, and get on with life as best I could.

"So, shall we continue on our candy quest?" I asked my friends.

My friends were still stunned. They couldn't speak for a moment. Finally, Tammie said, "Uh, I…guess."

"Great!" I said, giving her a light slap on the shoulder with my new auto-mail arm, "Race you to the next house!"

My friends eventually eased up to me, and quit being afraid. Sheila mentioned sometime that night that her parents were always saying to be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. She had never understood that saying until tonight.

I agreed with her. I had always wished that I could meet Edward Elric personally. I got my wish, though I didn't merely get to meet Edward Elric, I had become Edward Elric.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow! I can't believe the response I've gotten so far! Three reviews on one chapter in less than one day! Thank you, thank you all! I'd give you cookies, but I don't know if you even like cookies. How about I just grab a mass of nothingness and transmute it into what you want? Does that sound good? Heh. (Hey, Ed's been teaching me, okay?)**_

_**Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter. Suggestions, comments, and questions are always welcome in any of my stories. (Don't underestimate the power of questions. When you ask me a question, it helps me to know what needs to be answered in the next chapter.) Please review! I need to know how much this story is liked.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Can you believe that I forgot to put this on my previous chapter? Oh well, no big deal. At least I said it once, heh.**_

I arrived at my house after our candy escapades were concluded. I waved goodbye to my friends, and then went into the house.

My parents were up waiting for me. They're normally in bed by now, but they had stayed up to make sure that I got home safely. I was a bit nervous. What were they going to think?

(They expect you to come home looking like this, so you should be fine,) Edward said telepathically, (Just don't let them see your eyes.)

(Right,) I said, (I don't want them to see that.)

A pair of sunglasses was lying on the coffee table. I quickly grabbed them and put them on. I hoped that Mom and Dad wouldn't question me too hard about that.

My dad came into the room. "Well, sweetie, did you have a good time?"

"Oh yes, extremely," I said.

My dad started to chuckle. "What are you wearing those sunglasses for? They don't make you look anything like Ed."

"Well…" I searched my mind frantically to find and answer, "He did wear a pair of sunglasses once, when he was in disguise."

"Really? I didn't know that," said my dad, "But it's time for you to get out of your disguise and go to bed." He planted a kiss on my forehead. "Good night, angel."

"Good night, Daddy," I said as I hugged him.

I then turned to my mother. "Good night, Mother," I said as I kissed her cheek.

"Good night, sweetheart," she said, "Off to bed now."

(Phew! I managed to get through that undetected,) I thought as I climbed the stairs to my bedroom.

(You did well,) said Edward, (I'm impressed. But tell me, do you kiss you parents every night?)

(Of course I do!) I replied, (Why wouldn't I?)

(It'll just take me awhile to get used to it, I guess,) said Edward.

I entered my room and changed into my nightgown, which Edward seemed a little embarrassed about wearing. (You'll just have to get used to the fact that you're in a girl's body now,) I told him. He seemed to understand that, but I'm sure that that didn't make things any easier.

I looked into the mirror on top of my vanity. "Edward," I said aloud, "Is there anything that you could do about my hair? My parents will be sure to notice that by morning."

"Couldn't you just dye it back to its natural color?" asked Ed. It was strange that we were speaking aloud to each other, but it just didn't feel natural not to.

"No, I'm not allowed to dye my hair. My mom's a beautician and can tell whether hair is dyed or not, even if it looks natural," I said.

"Well," said Edward, "I once changed the color of my hair through a transmutation. I could try that here, but I'm not sure if I can use alchemy in this body."

"Let's try it anyway," I said, "What do I need to do?"

"Just get me a bowl of water, and let the hair hang loose over the water. I'll handle the rest," said Edward.

I quickly fetched the bowl of water and let out my hair…Ed's hair…whatever over the bowl of water. I could feel him take over my body again. Would I never get used to this?

"Ok, here goes," he said. He clapped his hands together, and then placed them both on the basin. The water changed color, and the color rose up through my hair.

"Take a look in the mirror, and see if that worked," said Ed. I looked in the mirror, and sure enough, my hair color was back to normal.

"You're amazing, Ed!" I said.

Edward chuckled, "Well, thank you for thinking so. Just understand that this isn't real dye, so it'll wash out in a few days. It's merely a transmutation of water."

"Understood," I said. I disposed of the water, turned off the light and hopped into bed.

(I wonder what to do about my eyes now?) I thought. Even though I preferred to converse aloud with Ed, I didn't dare do so after my light were out. It would make my parents suspicious.

(I don't know yet,) said Edward, (Just keep bluffing until I think of something. Those sunglasses might work for a while.)

(For a while, maybe,) I replied, (But not for very long.)

(I'm sure that I'll have thought of something by then,) he said, (Just hang tight.)

I closed my eyes and said good night to Ed. I couldn't sleep quite yet though. So much had happened in the past few hours that my racing mind wouldn't allow me to rest. I found it easier to just let my mind race. Sleep would eventually come. Edward's mind appeared to be racing too, so it looking like it was going to be a long night for the both of us.

As I lay there, I couldn't help but think of how desperate Ed must've been to enter someone's body without their consent. His spirit might never have moved on otherwise. Of course, he hadn't moved on just yet, since he was still in my body, but he would be able to someday. Would he be stuck with me until I died?

Yet, in spite of this, he was still kind enough to let me have priority over my own body. His was obviously the stronger soul, which explained why he could control me while I couldn't control him. He didn't exploit that though. He seemed to want me to just live my life as normally as possible under the circumstances.

Finally, we both fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning to my mom shaking me awake. "Wake up sleepyhead; you're going to be late for school.

I groggily opened my eyes to slits just big enough to see out of and said, "What time is it?"

"It's 7:30," my mom said, "I let you sleep in a little today, but you'll have to hurry up or you'll be late for school."

"Okay, I'll be up in a minute," I said. She left the room and went downstairs.

(Thank goodness she didn't see your eyes.)

I jumped. I'd forgotten about the night before, but quickly remembered. "Oh, Edward, good morning," I yawned.

(Good morning,) he thought back. He must've been too tired to speak aloud. That was understandable, since we shared the same body, and this body was definitely tired.

I started to pick out my clothes, when Edward spoke up. (Don't forget to cover up the auto-mail. That short-sleeved shirt won't cover it up too well.)

He certainly had a point, so I put the T-shirt back and grabbed a long-sleeved shirt. (That'll work,) he said, (But you'll have to wear those gloves from last night.)

(I'd never be able to get away with that,) I said.

(Just do your best. I'll help you out if I can,) he said.

(I hope this works,) I said.

So, I got dressed, slipped on the gloves and the sunglasses, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Mom hadn't finished making breakfast yet, but she had a glass of milk waiting for me on the table. I picked up the glass, took a sip, and immediately spit it back out.

"Mom, what's wrong with this milk? It tastes terrible!"

Mom turned from what she was doing at the stove and said to me, "There's nothing wrong with that milk. I had some just this morning."

"But I've never tasted such awful tasting milk," I said as I poured my glass down the drain.

"Are you feeling alright?" my mom said as she placed her hand on my forehead, "I don't feel a fever. It's strange though, you usually like milk. Go ahead and get some orange juice."

As I poured my orange juice, I thought, (What's the matter with me?)

(Nothing,) came the reply, (You simply inherited another trait from me.)

(Oh, that's right; you don't like milk, do you?) I said.

I sat down at the dining room table with my orange juice. My mother soon came in carrying a bowlful of oatmeal, and set it down in front of me.

"Thanks," I said, and began to eat.

"You're not going to wear those to school, are you?" asked Mom, pointing to my gloves.

"Why not?" I said.

"Sweetheart, you can't go around pretending to be Edward Elric all the time. Take those off."

I didn't know what to do. If I took off the gloves, she would see the auto-mail underneath, and then I'd really have some explaining to do. I felt Ed take over my body again. For once, I was relieved that he did so.

"My hands are a little cold right now," he said, "I'll take them off when I get to school."

"Very well," she said, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Never better," said Ed, "I'm fine, really. Don't worry so much."

"I'm just a mother," she said. She then leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Have a nice day, sweetheart."

I finished my oatmeal, grabbed my books, and left. She didn't suspect anything just yet. So far, so good.

(I wish I could have had some warning about that kiss,) said Ed.

I chuckled in response, (You'll get used to it.)

Since my school's nearby, I just walk there, though I was jogging today since I got a late start.

(What do I do at school? They're not going to let me wear my gloves there,) I asked.

(I don't know, just try to keep your right hand hidden. You're left handed, aren't you?)

(Yes,) I said.

(Then we might be able to pull it off. Just try to keep your right hand hidden, so that no one asks questions,) said Ed.

(I'll try,) I said. I just knew that this was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hi, everyone! Hmmm…strange, I'd thought that I'd already uploaded chapter two the day before yesterday, so I was surprised when I didn't get any reviews for it yesterday. Then, come to find out, I had typed it up, but forgot to upload it! Man, what an idiot I am! LOL! Oh well, I hope that you enjoyed Chapter 2. Now, let's get on to Chapter 3._**

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed thus far. The reason that I'm not mentioning specific reviewers to thank like I sometimes do is because this story is begging so hard to get out that I'm way ahead of all of you. I already have several chapters written, but I'm only going to upload one per day, if even that. I still need your reviews though. Your reviews will still influence future chapters, and encourage me to continue with the story. If I get a dry spell sometime in this story, I'll especially need those reviews to pick me back up. So please, don't skimp on reviews just because you know that there are more chapters coming!**_

_**Anyway, enjoy the story. Oh and just a side note: I only put telepathic communications in parentheses. All other thoughts don't have them. So, don't assume that I'm being careless if you see a thought represented without parentheses around it. It just means that it's not a telepathic communication.**_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. Heck, I don't even own any FullMetal Alchemist merchandise yet! What's up with that? That's hardly fair. I once was even given $20.00 to buy a FMA T-shirt, but I had to give it back to the giver so that he could buy food. Darn! So close, and yet so far! Anyway, enjoy the story._**

I finally arrived at school just as the bell rang. Hurriedly, I took off my sunglasses and gloves and put them in my locker. I wasn't too worried about people seeing my eyes here. Only my parents and best friends paid attention to my eyes. I was a bit concerned about the auto-mail though, so I stuck my right hand in my pocket and rushed to class. It was strange that I couldn't feel anything that my right arm touched, being made out of metal. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to that.

The teacher was already in my classroom when I came in. Great, I though, now he'll mark me down as tardy. I plopped my books down on my table and sat down.

My teacher looked up from what he was doing, and said, "A little late today, huh? Did you have a little too much fun last night and forget to get up this morning?"

The other kids in my class giggled. I blushed, shrugged, and self-consciously nodded my head. The teacher chuckled. "I understand, Miss Greene," he said to me, "I was young once myself. Since you're normally so punctual, I'll let it slide this time. Just don't make it a habit."

I smiled. "Thanks," I said.

"Don't mention it," he said, "Now get your math books out and turn to page 107."

Ugh! I thought, why did such a great teacher have to be my math teacher? I hated math, and I saw no practical use for this sixth-grade algebra. Arithmetic, sure, but not algebra.

(Have you ever considered learning alchemy?) Edward suddenly asked.

(Yeah, I'd love to learn how to do that,) I replied.

(That should give you something to shoot for then with your math,) said Edward. (Alchemy requires advanced knowledge of mathematics. Arithmetic by itself won't cut it.)

(But I'm terrible at algebra!) I complained.

(Maybe I can help you,) he said, (But I'm not going to do your work for you. You'd never learn it if I did.)

(Okay, I understand that,) I said, (So can you help me with this first problem? ab + ba bc and b3.)

(Okay,) said Edward, (The first thing you need to do is write it out so that it doesn't confuse you later. All those letters that are next to each other are actually multiplied.)

(So then should I write a x b + b x a b x c?) I asked.

(That depends. Are you still being taught to use the multiplication sign for all multiplication problems?) said Edward.

(No, actually, we've been using parentheses a lot to multiply with,) I said.

(Alright then, write out the problem with parentheses around the letters,) said Edward.

( (a)(b) + (b)(a) (b)(c) Is that correct?) I asked.

(Yes. Now, you've been told what b represents, right?) he asked.

(b3,) I said.

(Good, now put that where all the b's are now, and let me know what you have,) said Edward.

(But you already know exactly what I'm doing. You can read my mind,) I said.

(True, but I just need you to practice figuring things out on your own,) he said.

(I see. I've got (a)(3) + (3)(a) (3)(c) so far. What do I do next?) I said.

(Well, look at what you have left,) said Edward, (You have two a's and one c. It will take three time the amount of those two a's to get three times the amount of one c. But all those numbers could get confusing. Since all three groups have threes in them, you can just ignore them for the moment. What do you have when you pretend those threes aren't there?)

(a + a c,) I said.

(Right, so how many a's does it take to get one c?) said Edward.

(Two,) I said.

(So that means that c is twice the amount of a. That would also mean that c is an even number since it can be divided by two,) said Edward.

(An even number?) I said, (That helps a little. So what do I do next?)

(You'll have to just pick a number and try it to see if it works. Remember, once you find a, you'll have c as well,) said Edward.

(Okay,) I said, (I'll try two. That gives me (2)(3) + (3)(2) (3)(4). Is that correct?)

(Why don't you solve it and see what happens?) said Ed, (It's just arithmetic now.)

(Ok, let's see…six…plus…six equals…twelve! It worked!) I said.

(See? It's easy when you break it down step by step,) said Edward.

(No one's ever broken it down for me before, so it never made any sense to me,) I said, (I think that I'm starting to understand this algebra after all. Thank you so much, Edward!)

(It's no problem,) said Ed, (It's the least I can do for the person who lets me share her body without a fuss.)

I giggled audibly. My teacher looked up from his desk. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No," I said, blushing.

"Are you having difficulty with today's assignment?" he asked. I could understand why he asked. I was his worst math student.

"No," I shook my head, "I'm actually doing fine today." He got up anyway and came to look at my math paper.

"You really ARE doing fine!" he said, "How did you figure it out?"

"A good friend walked me through it step by step," I said.

"Wow, I'm really impressed. Your friend just made my job a lot easier. Next time you see your friend, would you thank them for me?" he said.

"I'll give him the message," I said. My teacher smiled and gave me a pat on the back, then went back to his desk.

(That's so cool that I get to have Edward Elric as my tutor,) I thought.

Edward chuckled a bit. (I don't know everything, you know. I was only fifteen when I died. That's only a few years older than you.)

(I don't care, you're still smart,) I said. Hearing that, Edward formed a smile on my face.

The day passed by normally, except that I had a constant companion that I could talk to, until P.E. I'd been dreading this all day; because there was no way I was going to be able to hide my auto-mail then.

Just in case I could get away with it, I grabbed the gloves out of my locker and put them on. I knew that there wasn't such chance that I could pull this off, but I had to try.

As soon as I set foot in the gymnasium, my gym teacher stopped me. "Hold on there," she said, "You can't wear those gloves here."

"Please, let me wear them," I said, "My hands are cold." I figured that Edward's trick might work a second time.

"They'll warm up soon enough," she said, "Now take those gloves off."

"Please, don't make me," I begged, "Just let me wear them this once."

"No, you take them off now, or I'm going to call your parents," she said.

(What do I do, Edward?) I asked.

(I think we're sunk. It looks like everything's going to come out before we're ready,) he said.

(Don't you have any ideas of what to do? You're so smart,) I said.

(Without getting you in worse trouble than you'd be in for revealing me, I have no idea what to do. I won't let you take the blame though. This is all my fault,) said Edward, (Just do what you have to do.)

"Well?" said the P.E. teacher.

I reluctantly grabbed my right glove and pulled it off. The auto-mail was now exposed.

"Oh, a remnant from your Halloween costume, I see," said my P.E. teacher, "No wonder you didn't want to take off your gloves. Take that thing off, we're wasting time."

"Please, Teacher, this isn't a glove. This is a prosthetic arm," I said, "I can't just take it off."

"Right, and I've got a bridge to sell you. If you don't take it off now, I'm calling your parents," she said.

(Edward, what do I do now?) I asked.

(It looks like it's time for the truth to come out,) he said, (I don't see any way around it.)

I sighed. This was something I had so hoped to avoid. (But I don't even know how to take it off,) I said.

(That's okay, I can do it,) Ed said.

(Is it going to hurt?) I asked.

(Extremely much, once I put the arm back on,) said Ed.

(Then keep control of me through that,) I said, (You're tougher than I am.)

(Fine, I will,) he said. I felt him take over my body. He pushed up the sleeve on my arm, and then disconnected the auto-mail. Every one standing nearby gasped. Even the teacher had gone silent, for once in her life.

"Now, can I please put my arm back on?" said Ed. Still stunned, the teacher just nodded.

(Here we go,) said Ed, (Brace yourself.)

Ed reconnected the auto-mail to my shoulder. I was suddenly in excruciating pain like I never knew existed, but I couldn't scream. Ed managed to keep his control over me the whole time. However, he was still suffering quite a bit. His jaw was clenched and he screamed through his teeth. He acted so tough that no one had a clue as to how much pain we were actually going through, until we fainted.

I woke up on a cot in the nurse's/counselor's office. My mother was standing just a few feet away from me, talking with the nurse. She was obviously distressed. (I didn't want to drag her into this,) I thought-cried.

(We had no choice, it had to come out sooner or later,) said Edward, (I'll be here for you. I won't let you take the blame.)

My mother noticed that I was awake and walked over to me. My heart pounded. What would she say?

"Sweetheart, tell me what's going on," she said. I couldn't speak. I just stared at her blankly, waiting for words that wouldn't come.

"The nurse says that your P.E. teacher saw you take off and reconnect a prosthetic arm." I remained silent.

"Several people say that they saw your hair change color as you fainted." I turned my head and looked at my hair. It was blond again!

"Your eyes are a strange color as well, and the nurse says that you're not wearing contacts, nor are you ill. Sweetheart, I'm worried about you. What's going on? Are you just pulling a stunt to be more like Edward Elric?"

I shook my head and wiped the tears out of my eyes. What would I say? What COULD I say?

"You-You wouldn't believe me," I said.

Try me," she said. So, I told her exactly what had occurred the previous night, from the initial possession to the changing of my appearance. I left out the part about Edward being the possessor, since she believed that he'd never even existed.

My mother was upset. "Kate, why won't you just tell me the truth?"

"But that IS the truth!" I cried.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe that story," she said.

"Tammie and Sheila saw it happen too," I said.

"If those other girls can confirm her story," said the nurse, "Then there might be a degree of truth to what she's saying."

"You don't mean to tell you that you believe she's been possessed by a ghost!" said my mom.

"No," said the nurse "But she might think she is, and those other girls might think so as well."

(Psychologists,) said Edward, (They think they know everything.)

The nurse went and fetched my friends, and asked them to tell her exactly what had happened to me last night. They obviously didn't want to say anything, but they must've been afraid of what would happen to me if they didn't. So, they told the story, and they didn't leave out the part about the ghost being Edward.

My mother threw up her hands in frustration. "She's just making all this up to act more like Edward Elric. She practically worships that guy. This is going too far, Katie. I'm going to ground you and I'm throwing away all your FullMetal Alchemist merchandise. Do you understand?"

(Edward, what do I do? She won't even believe me friends,) I said.

(Maybe she'll believe me,) said Edward, (I'm not going to let you take the blame.)

(But she'll just think it's me that's talking,) I said.

(I think I know of a way to convince her,) he said, (Just let me take control of your body again.)

(Okay, do whatever you must,) I said, (I doubt you can make things any worse.)

So, Edward sat up, and looked up at Mother. "Look, Mrs. Greene…"

"What did you call me, young lady?" my mother snapped back.

Edward narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm not your daughter…I am Edward."

"Will you stop with that act already?" my mom said.

Edward didn't say anything for a second and looked over at her purse. "Don't you have a broken statue in there?" he asked.

"I have a broken porcelain figuring that I was taking to get repaired today. But only my husband, Katie, and I knew about it, so that proves that you're Katie," she said.

Edward looked up at her and met her gaze. "I know about it because I share Katie's body, so we can read each other's minds. Now, if I can repair that figurine the way Edward Elric would, with alchemy, would you believe me?"

"With alchemy?" my mother said, "If you could pull that off, I'd have no choice but to believe. I'd just like to see you try." She handed him the broken figurine.

Edward carefully laid the pieces of the figurine on the ground. Then, he clapped his hands together, and proceeded to place them on the ground, just outside the area where the pieces were. Blue light ascended from the small workspace for several seconds. Suddenly…BOOM…The light was gone, and the figuring was restored.

Edward picked up the figurine and handed it to my mother. "Here you are, Ma'am," he said.

My mother had her hand across her forehead, and was completely silent for a moment. Finally, she managed to say, "It's Edward Elric!" and then she fainted.

_**Wow! I didn't realize that that chapter was so long until I actually typed it up. (I've been writing this story out by hand, so I have no idea how long a chapter actually is until I type it.) I hope that you enjoyed it. Please review!**_

_**Heh…I never would've guessed when I started writing this chapter that it was going to have Edward teaching a math lesson. I wish that he had been there for me when I was in seventh grade. (That was the worst year of my life, almost.) This story's basically just writing itself, and I have no idea where it's going. I keep having guesses, which most of them prove to be wrong by the time I actually get to that point. It's almost like this story has a life force of its own. (Oooh, creepy, hehe.) It's kind of nice that it's that way though. That way, I get surprised by what comes out just as much as you do, and I don't have to put much thought into the plot. The plot just "happens". Have any of you ever had a story that just wrote itself like that? This is the first one like that for me.**_

_**Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please review, and I just might be nice and upload another chapter tomorrow.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey, everybody! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far!Eleven reviews on just three chapters, impressive by my standards, heh.**_

_**Oh, and by the way, I realize that I sometimes conveniently ignore some of the "rules" set forth in the anime, such as that Edward can't do alchemy on this side of the Gate. Well, since this is my story world, I just decided that he CAN do alchemy on this side of the Gate! Ha!**_

_**Here's another disclaimer for you: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Huh, imagine that! That's just not right! Somebody call my lawyer, I need to find out why I don't own it, heh. Ok, I'm getting really ridiculous now. I just like to make these disclaimers readable. Enjoy the story.**_

Edward quickly grabbed a bucket, filled it with cold water, and splashed it on my mother. She awake with a start and gasped for breath.

"Will she be okay?" Edward asked the nurse.

"I-I think so," said the nurse, obviously uncomfortable around a body that housed two souls. This was why I didn't want it to come out, but what has happened has happened, and there was no turning back now.

Edward kneeled down next to my mom and held one of her hands. "Are you all right, Mrs. Greene? You had quite a shock," said Edward.

"I-I'm okay," my mom said, sitting up and pulling her hand away from Ed. "Why do you possess my daughter? What did she ever do to you?"

I wanted to speak right then, to defend Edward, but I couldn't fight against his soul. I knew that he wasn't intentionally blocking me from using my own body, he just didn't know his own strength.

"She…" Edward said, "She rescued me."

"She rescued you?" my mom said, "And this is how you repay her?"

"This is how she rescued me," said Edward, who then proceeded to tell her the whole story of his death and how he hadn't been able to move on up to the part where he was finally able to enter my body.

My mother grew silent. She was still sitting on the floor, cold and dripping wet, but she didn't move. She was contemplating all the information she'd just received in the last few minutes, and it was taking a while to sink in. Finally, she said, "How does Katie feel about this?"

"I'll let you ask her that yourself," said Edward. He closed his eyes, since that helped his concentration, and let go. I opened my eyes, and reached out to hold my mom's hand, which she pulled away from me.

"Mom, are you afraid of me?" I asked.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Katie, is it really you?"

"Of course it's me!" I said, "I've been here all along, I just wasn't the one talking to you."

"K-Katie, how do you feel about this intrusion on his part? Do you want him to stay in you, or should we find someone to exorcise him from your body?" my mom said.

"Exorcise Edward?" I shouted, "Why, I wouldn't think of it. I admit that I was frightened at first, but I quit being afraid when I realized how gentle he was. Please, don't do anything to hurt him!"

"But in some of those episodes I've seen, he has gotten quite angry and violent," said my mom.

"Only when he had a just cause to do so," I said, "He's really gentle the rest of the time."

"I hope you're right, sweetheart. I don't want anything bad to happen to you," my mom said.

"I know I'm right, Mom," I said, grabbing one of my mom's hands and caressing it. She didn't pull away this time. "Just give Ed a chance. He'll be just like another member of the family soon, you'll see."

"I'll try for your sake, Katie," said my mom, "I just hope you're right. I don't know how your father's going to react to this though."

"Well, we'll worry about that later," I said, "Right now, we just need to get you home. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I can walk," my mom said. She grabbed hold of my hand, and I pulled her up. I then wrapped my arm around her back.

"I'll walk you home," I said, "You shouldn't walk alone right now."

"Th-Thanks," she said. The poor thing was still nervous around me. I desperately hoped that she would soon accept me and Edward. I was still worried about father though. How would he react?

My dad arrived home from work around 5:30. I had stayed home from school the rest of the day to take care of Mom, since she was exhausted from that big shock.

My dad was about to call for us when I came out into the living room, where he was, to tell him not to wake Mom up. Of course, he wanted to know what the matter was, so I told him that she had had a very hard day, and it would all be explained to him when she woke up.

He was confused, of course, but decided not to press the subject until later. So, he said, "Is there anything around to eat while we're waiting for her?"

I'd completely forgotten about food. "Oh well," Dad said, "Let's go out to the kitchen and make something."

We went to the kitchen and started looking in the cupboards to figure out what we had. He decided to make spaghetti, while I chose to make some salad. I began preparing the vegetables when Dad said, "Wouldn't it be easier if you took your auto-mail off?"

"Uh, no," I replied back.

"Well, why are you still wearing you costume, anyway? As far as I know, Halloween's over," he said.

I was about to reply when Mom walked into the room and said, "She has no choice."

My dad was taken aback, "What do you mean 'she has no choice'?"

Mom sat down at the dining room table, and continued to speak. "Have you ever heard that urban legend where kids that dress up as monsters on Halloween sometimes find that they can't remove their costumes and that they've become the monsters they were dressed up as?"

Dad laughed, "Yeah, I know that urban legend. It scared me to death up until the age of nine."

"Well," said Mom, "That's what has happened to our little girl."

Dad put down the spoon he was stirring with, and turned around and faced Mom. "What are you talking about?"

"The reason that she's still wearing part of her costume," said Mom, "Is because she can't take it off."

"Why not? Does she need a little help getting that auto-mail off?" asked Dad.

I grabbed hold of my auto-mail arm as an automatic reaction. "No," I said, "Don't touch my auto-mail. I'm not going to go through that twice in one day."

"Would someone please explain to me what's going on?" said Dad.

I got an idea that I though might speed things up. "Dad, pull my hair."

"What?" he asked.

"Just do it," I said, "Pull it off." Dad grabbed hold of my blond braid and gave it a sharp yank.

"Ow!" I said as my head jerked back.

"Alright, what going on here?" said Dad.

"Dear, don't you see?" said Mom, "She has become Edward Elric."

"Become Edward Elric!" said my dad, "What are you talking about?"

"Actually," I said, "It would be more accurate to say that this body now houses two souls. One of them being mind, the other one being Edward's."

My dad shook his head in disbelief. "You guys are talking like Edward Elric really exists." He turned back to his pot of water. "Why isn't this thing boiling yet?" he said.

(Go for it, Edward,) I said.

"So, I guess that seeing is believing," said Edward. He clapped his hands together and placed them on the handles of the pot. The water instantly burst into boiling.

"Did I really just see that?" asked Dad.

"Yes, you did," said Mom, "That was an alchemical transmutation."

My dad's jaw dropped, and his knees started to buckle. Ed rushed over and grabbed him before he could fall. "Please don't be afraid of me, Mr. Greene, I won't hurt anyone." Edward said.

"You're…Edward Elric?" my dad said. Edward just nodded. My dad's face turned white. "How…How did this happen?"

The three of us relayed the entire story to him, from the time that I bought the clothes to when I brought Mother home.

"Please, Mr. Greene, I just want to be accepted as part of your family," said Edward. "My family is long gone, and I need some place to call home."

My dad managed a weak smile. I was surprised at how well he was taking this news. He stepped over to me and put his hands on my arms.

"Edward," he said, "A long time ago, before Katie was born, my wife and I had decided that we wanted both a son and a daughter. When Katie was born, we got half of our wish, but my wife had an unfortunate accident rendering her unable to bear children.

"So, we thought our wish was lost forever. We learned to deal with the fact that there would never be a boy in our household, so we made sure to expose our little girl to as many different social activities as possible to make sure she learned how to get along with others, being an only child.

"However, we had always wished that we could have given a brother to Katie; someone who would be there for her, no matter what, just because she was his sister. But there was nothing that we could do about it. There has always been an empty role in this house where her brother should have been. Now you've stepped in to fill that role. So you see, son, you're a wish come true."

Without warning, my dad threw his arms around us. "I'm hugging both of you kids," he said, "Got that?"

"Got it," came the reply.

"Which one said that?" asked Dad, releasing us and staring into our eyes.

"It's still Edward speaking," said Edward," Katie hasn't asked to speak yet, so I'm still the one here."

"Well, I'm very glad to meet you, Edward. I'd always wished that I could have a son like Edward Elric," said Dad.

Edward choked, then said, "I-I've always wished for a father like you, Mr. Greene. You see, my father…"

"I know all about your father, and I'm so sorry that that had to happen to you," said Dad, "I understand your longing for a father. But please, stop trying to be so polite. Call us Mom and Dad."

"Okay…Dad," said Ed. Dad hugged us again, making sure to remind us that he was hugging both of us.

After we ate dinner, Dad sent us off to bed, so we wouldn't be late for school the next day. "But how can I go to school tomorrow, Dad?" I said, "You know what happened today."

"Your mother and I will work it out," said Dad, "But you need to get a good night's rest."

"I hope you can work it out," I said, "Good night, Daddy."

"I hope this doesn't bother Edward too much," said Dad. He bent down and kissed me on the forehead.

"He'll get used to it," I said.

He chuckled at that, then said, "Good night, angel." I started to walk up the stairs, when he called back, "Good night to you too, Edward."

Edward smiled. "Good night," he said, and then continued walking up the stairs.

"Your family's really nice," said Edward upon entering my room.

"I know they are," I said, "They're one in a million."

"I can't believe how quickly your dad came to accepting me," said Edward.

"I'm surprised too," I said, "But he has secretly always been a fan of yours. He never admitted it, but I could always tell."

"So I've got two fans in this household?" Edward said, "How's your Mom going to handle my presence here?"

"She'll come around," I said, "She just needs a little time."

"That's good," he said.

I turned off the lights and climbed into bed. Suddenly, Edward started convulsing. "Edward, are you okay?"

After a moment, the convulsing stopped. "Yeah," he said, "I'm fine."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I have no idea, but I hope it doesn't happen again," said Edward.

"I hope not," I said, "Anyway, good night, Ed."

"Good night," he said. Soon we were both asleep.

_**Wow, I thought that last chapter was long, but this one's nearly as long as that one! Heh, I don't even know how long these things are anymore.**_

**_Isn't it weird that Katie has such a perfect family? I don't know why I gave her such perfect parents (except that her mom kind of flips out on occasion, like my mom, heh), but I'm guessing that it's probably because I wish that my family had been that way. My family history has a lot of similarity to Edward's actually. You don't find many "perfect" families in stories these days, so I hope that you like that._**

_**Heh, poor Ed, having to deal with all those kisses! That would certainly take some getting used to, especially if you had no choice but to receive them. Hehe…Take comfort though, he'll get used to it. If he wants to become part of the family, he has to get used to the "touchy-feely" tendencies of this family, so he'll be sure to get used to it.**_

_**Anyway, the next chapter should be up tomorrow, if nothing comes in between me and that. Please review until then. I can't know what people like unless they review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the support so far! Wow, I can't believe how popular this story has gotten. Please continue to review, asyour reviewsdo have an effect. One person submitted a suggestion, and it changed my whole idea of how the story was going to end.**_

_**This chapter might be a little surprising, but don't kill me until you read the chapter tomorrow. (Then you can kill me if you want to, heh.) Since this is a story, and not merely a series of sketches, I can't very well have absolutely nothing happen in the plot, can I? Heh. I'll tell you right now though, this story will eventually end happily. Review if you want to influence how it ends, hehe.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Of all things, no matter how many times I say this, I still don't own it. I wonder why people need me to say this on every chapter. Is this a trend, or do people these days suffer from short-term memory loss like Dory? (I don't own Finding Nemo either, but it won't even be appearing in the story, so it's not even worth mentioning. heh.)**_

When Mom shook us awake the next morning, I noticed that I felt really weak. I couldn't figure out why. Maybe I just wasn't used to sharing my body yet. It had only been two days since Edward had first moved in, after all.

I managed to push myself up to a sitting position with my auto-mail and rubbed my eyes with my other hand. "Did you manage to work things out for us at school?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, "Your father was really smart. He decided that it would be easier to not explain what had really happened, so he told only what he needed to. He said that you really did have a prosthetic arm and leg, and that you bleached your hair blond."

"But some people saw a lot more than that," I said.

"Only a few did," said Mother, "And you father told them to keep their mouths shut." She smiled. Dad sure had a way of persuading people.

"I have your breakfast on the table," said Mom, "No milk this time." I laughed. She was accepting this faster than I thought she would. Dad must've persuaded her as well.

"Thanks," I said. She left the room. I quickly got dressed, in a T-shirt this time, since I no longer had to hide, and went downstairs.

Mom had placed another bowl of oatmeal on the table as well as a glass of orange juice. I sat down and started eating. Mom came into the room and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Sweetheart," she said, "Why didn't you tell us what was going on as soon as it happened?"

I put my spoon in my bowl, and raised my eyes to look at her. "I didn't want to frighten you," I said.

"Well, you sure managed to scare the heck out of us in spite of your efforts," said Mom.

"Yeah I know," I said, "I'm really sorry about that."

"I'd also like to know why you went ahead and dyed your hair. Even though it's really Edward's hair, it's attached to your head. Dye causes damage to your hair, so that's why we don't allow you to dye it," she said.

"I didn't dye it, Mom," I said, "Edward transmuted it. The transmutation was harmless, but it didn't last long. It should have lasted for a few days, but I guess that the pain that came from reconnecting the auto-mail made it not last very long."

My mom sighed, "Kids," she mumbled, "Why do they have to have a mind of their own?" She got up from the table and left the room. "Have a nice day at school, sweetheart," she called from the kitchen.

"Thanks, Mom, I will," I said. I finished my breakfast, grabbed my books and stepped out the door. I yawned.

(So you're feeling tired today too?) asked Edward.

(Yeah,) I said, (I guess that yesterday must've worn me out.)

(But, haven't you noticed?) said Edward, (This body isn't tired at all.)

I stopped walking for a second, and tuned into my body's sensations. (You're right,) I said, (My body's full of energy, so why am I so tired?)

(If our body is strong, then it must be our spirits that are weak,) said Edward.

(But why?) I asked.

(I have no idea,) said Edward, (We should try to find someone who can help us find out.)

(But I don't know anyone,) I said.

(We'll find someone, somehow,) said Edward.

We finally arrived at school. Except for everyone I ran into that day who commented on my auto-mail and my blond hair, the day ran on pretty much like a normal day. Even the P.E. teacher avoided me, much to the envy of everybody else.

During recess, I was just standing outside, enjoying the sunshine, when I suddenly grabbed my heart. My knees gave way, and I fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

I turned about to see Trisha, whom everyone called "the shadow stepper", standing on my shadow. "So, which one of you did I get?" she asked.

"I beg your pardon?" I said, annoyed.

She put her hands behind her back, and proceeded to walk around me, as she said, "The shadow is a representation of the soul. Since I was able to affect you so drastically by stepping on your shadow, you obviously have a fairly weak soul right now. I think I even know why you do."

I stood back up. "Why do you think my soul's weak?" I asked. Hey, this girl may be nuts, but she might be able to give us a clue, I thought.

Trisha stopped walking and stared at me. "I've been watching you for awhile," she said. "When you sneezed a few minutes ago, you lost control of your soul temporarily. I saw two shadow figures at that time, which means that you really have two souls in your body."

I gasped. How had she been able to deduce that from that little observation?

She continued, "A body is meant to only support one soul, so that's why both of you are feeling so weak today. I'd venture to guess that since you're only at this stage, the other must've entered you two days ago, on Halloween."

I remained silent. I had always thought of this girl as a nutcase, but everything she had said thus far was absolutely true! I wanted to ask her for more information, but I couldn't say anything. I was too shocked for words.

Trisha smiled, "I'm not as evil and stupid as you've been led to believe. I only step on people's shadows to get their attention. I actually want to help you, but I do understand why you can't say anything. I'm sure that it's shocking to have someone else know exactly what's going on."

I looked into her eyes. Tears were coming to my own. I reached out and hugged her. She smiled, and let me hug her for a moment, and then she pushed me back.

"You won't like what I have to tell you," she said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You body, as I said, can only support one soul. If you continue on as you are now, both souls will get weaker and weaker until you both die."

I gasped. No, that couldn't be true! "What do we do about it?" I asked.

She shrugged and sighed. "One of you will have to leave that body to spare the other."

"Do you mean that one of us has to die?" I asked. She nodded. I put my face in my hands and started to cry. I did not want to deal with this.

(Katie, this was originally your body, so I'll leave,) said Edward.

(Edward, no!) I said, (I can't stand the thought of your dying for me.)

(I'm supposed to be dead, anyway,) he said, (Perhaps this is my time to move on.)

(But we don't even know how to leave this body, unless this body is killed, which would kill both of us,) I said.

(This girl might know something,) said Edward, (Ask her.)

I continue to cry. I didn't want to sacrifice Edward's life to save my own. Trisha put her hand on my shoulder. "I know it's hard to take this in all at once," she said.

"But isn't there another way?" I said. She shook her head. "How am I supposed to make the decision of who has to die?"

"That decision is already made for you," she said, "My mother has a method for extracting a soul from a body. But she can only extract the intruding spirit, not the spirit to which the body belongs."

"E-Edward?" I said, "No, I can't do that!"

"Edward's the name of the other soul? Then I'd like to speak with Edward," she said.

I felt Edward take over my body once again. He looked at Trisha, and said, "I am Edward."

"I assume that you must've had a good reason for entering Katie's body, since she's so attached to you," said Trisha. Edward nodded.

"I did it so that I would have a chance to move on. My soul was bound here, and so…"

"I understand," Trisha interrupted, putting up her hand to cut him off, "But you'll be moving on a little sooner than you expected."

"I can handle that," said Edward, "Do whatever it takes to get me out of this body so that no harm comes to Katie. She'll make a lot of fuss about it, but don't listen to her. She needs me to get out of her before I kill her."

"I'll go call my mother," said Trisha. "Meet me after school, and I'll take you to my house to see her. You're the stronger soul, aren't you?" Edward nodded. "Then, if Katie resists, force her. This is for her own good. The sooner we do this, the better," said Trisha.

"Ok, I'll see you after school," said Edward.

(You're actually going to go through with this?) I asked.

(I don't see any other way,) said he, (I'll die either way, and I don't want you to have to die with me.)

I was so upset that I let my soul scream. Only Edward heard it though, as he still had control. He understood what I was going through.

(Let's go back to class,) he said, (This will all be over in a few hours. It's for the best, so please don't be sad.)

I couldn't help but be sad. I knew that by the end of the day, my best friend would be gone.

We went back to class, and I managed as best as I could. I had a hard time concentrating though.

Finally, the school's closing bell rang. I picked up my books and dragged my feet across the floor. Edward must've thought that I was walking too slowly for his liking, so he took over and sped up the pace.

We found Trisha, and she led us to her family's house. There were a lot of object in her house that were used for religious rituals. I was trying to decide if her mother was a psychic, a witch, maybe both, or something else. Then I spotted a Christian cross. Christian stuff too huh? I thought, She's probably just a crazy Unitarian Universalist then.

Trisha let us to a room where there was a long table. "Climb up on this table and lie down," she said, "I'll go get my mother."

Edward climbed up on the table. I kept begging him not to go through with this. He didn't listen. Trisha's mother came in.

"Are you the soul that needs to be extracted from this body?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," said Edward.

"You're not the soul that was originally in the body, are you?" she asked, "I can't remove that soul."

"No," said Edward, "I'm the intruding soul."

"Very well," she said, "Then let's begin. Imagine that you're walking down a large stairwell, and at the bottom of the stairwell is your subconscious mind. With each step you take, you go deeper and deeper into your subconscious. I will count to ten, and with each number, you'll go deeper and deeper. One…going deeper…"

Edward was slipping in his subconscious, and taking me down with him. We were both going into a trance.

"Two…Moving into your subconscious…"

I was starting to feel relaxed.

"Three…Feel very calm and peaceful…"

"Four…You are starting to notice how relaxed you feel…"

"Five…You are halfway down the stairwell into your subconscious. With each number, you go deeper and deeper…"

I was almost asleep, but I kept listening to see what she said.

"Six…feeling even more relaxed…"

"Seven…going deeper and deeper…"

"Eight…going deeper still…"

"Nine…almost there…"

"Ten…you are now in a trance."

After that, I fell completely asleep. I don't remember what happened after that point.

Finally, I woke back up. I felt different. I realized that Edward's spirit had departed. I started to cry. Trisha and her mother tried to console me, but it was no use. I got up and left for home.

When I finally arrive home, my mom and dad came into the room and threw their arms around me. "We were so worried about you," said Dad, "Where were you?"

I started up crying again. "What's wrong sweetheart? Is Edward mistreating you?" Mom said as she caressed my tear-streaked face.

"Mom…Dad," I said. I looked up into their eyes. Then, I said as I pulled off my blond wig, "Edward's gone."

_**Hey, don't kill me just yet! The story's not nearly done! Just come back tomorrow, and you'll be able to read the next chapter.**_

_**Heh…I mentioned that Trisha's mom was probably a crazy Unitarian Universalist. I think that that's a more accurate description of me. I tend to like all different kinds of religions, and incorporate beliefs from many different practices into my personal philosophy. Kind of crazy, but it's me. Heh.**_

_**Although I took some artistic license, that's a more accurate representation of how hypnosis actually is than most of what you'll see in the movies. Hypnotists rarely ever swing a watch back and forth saying "You're getting sleepy, you're getting sleepy." That's not a very effective method, if you ask me. The stairwell thing is much more common, as well as another method where you slowly mentally relax each part of the body, but that one's harder to write about.**_

_**Also, most people when they get hypnotized don't actually lose consciousness. That was a bit of artistic license I took there. The very rare few that do are called "somnambulists". One can't actually be hypnotized without wanting to be. I also usually count to 25 or 30 when I do the stairwell thing (hey, I hypnotize myself sometimes, okay?) but I shortened it for the writing so that it wouldn't get boring. Heh. I just figured I should mention all this since there's a lot of misconception about hypnosis these days.**_

_**Anyway, join me again tomorrow for the next chapter. Make sure to review! Got that? Review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Wow! I can't believe how many reviews I got for that last chapter! Thank goodness none of you killed me over it, hehe. Hopefully you won't kill me over this one either. (No, it's not sad, ok? Just read it, for goodness sake!) Hopefully, you'll like the chapter. Feel free to review and even to offer suggestions. I haven't yet finished writing the story (I'm a few chapters ahead of all you readers), but your reviews can still effect the ending. So please, of all things, review and let me know what you think!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. I think you all understand that by now, but I wasn't quite sure. I'm not sure if there's a reader lurking that goes to the last chapter and reads backwards or not, so I've got to double check and put this disclaimer on every chapter. (Hey, I had to come up with SOME reason why we put these disclaimers on every chapter!)_**

**_Oh, and by the way, there will be spoilers in the story from now on. So, if you don't want to read any spoilers, then don't read this story until you've seen the entire series. (I haven't seen the movie yet, so there won't be any spoilers from that in here.) Otherwise, enjoy!_**

The next few weeks were difficult for me and my family. I had lost my best friend, and my parents had lost their only chance for a son. We all knew that Edward had finally gone on to a better place, but that didn't ease the pain much.

As far as how I got by in school, my grades were suffering, because I just didn't have any will to try. I was treated fairly by the teachers and fellow students because my dad passed off the whole issue as a practical joke, but that didn't help either. Every time I looked in the mirror and saw my brown hair and blue eyes, I would remember how much I missed Edward.

I came home from school one day in early December. I went up to my room and threw my books on the floor. Homework was the last thing on my mind. All I wanted to do was mope around and think of Edward, so I climbed into my bed and went to sleep. I started to have a dream.

In my dream, I was standing in a vast expanse of mist. I looked around, but couldn't see anything but the mist. I was about to call out to see if anyone was around, when I noticed something showing through the mist.

I moved closer to it. I still couldn't make it out. So, I reached out and touched it. The mist cleared, and I was able to make out the form of a gigantic doorway. I was about to try and find a way to open it, when someone reached out and grabbed my wrist.

"You shouldn't try to enter the Gate before your time."

I turned to see who my companion was. To my surprise, it was Edward! "Ed!" I said, "What are you doing here? Why haven't you moved on?"

He looked at me with those sad, golden eyes of his, and said, "It is not yet my time either."

"But you died," I said, "How could it not be your time?"

Edward sighed, and then began to explain. "Everything that I went through, on both sides of the Gate: My father leaving us, my mother dying, my brother and I making a huge sacrifice to try and resurrect her, our years of journeying together, my coming to this side of the Gate, my own death and my soul being bound here, all provided me with valuable life lessons. I've learned much over the course of this lifetime, and my soul has reached a level of maturity that it never before had. Yet, all I went through, all my hopes, dreams, successes, failures, and losses, were all worthless."

"How could they all be worthless?" I asked.

"Through all that, I never fulfilled my destiny," he said.

"How could you possibly not have fulfilled your destiny?" I asked.

"I was so preoccupied with what I wanted out of life that I never bothered to consider what my mission in life really was. Until I fulfill that destiny, I cannot enter the Gate, I cannot move on," said Edward.

"But how can you fulfill you destiny now that you've died?" I asked.

"I have been told by the keeper of the Gate that I will once again be granted life, that I may fulfill my destiny," said Edward.

"But how is that possible?" I asked, "The dead don't come back to life!"

"I don't know all the answers yet," he said, "If I did, I would have spoken to you before now. I will see you again…soon." He looked at me one more time, and actually managed a weak smile. Then he faded out of view.

I woke up with tears in my eyes. Why did that have to be a dream? Why couldn't I have really spoken to Edward?

My mom and dad heard my sobbing and came into my room. They wrapped their arms around me and brushed the tears off my face. They didn't have to say anything. There was a mutual understanding between us.

When I finally stopped crying, I mentioned that I had had a strange dream about Edward. They encouraged me to talk about it, so I told them the whole story, remembering everything Edward said, word for word.

"Do you think that dream has any significance?" I asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart," my mom said as she brushed the hair out of my eyes, "Many people believe that dreams do hold significant meaning. I really don't know one way of the other. You'll have to decide on that for yourself."

"Just trust that we love you, and we'll always be here for you, no matter what," my dad said, and then he kissed my forehead. "Get some rest, angel. You've been through a lot lately, and we don't want you to get burned out." My mom and dad stood up, turned and left the room.

I lay awake for several minutes, just pondering the dream. Why had I dreamt that? Was it just my own wishful thinking that wanted Edward to come back? These questions wore me out, and I finally went to sleep.

Sometimes later, during the night, I felt my mother shake me awake. "Katie, wake up!"

I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. It was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing.

"Mom?" I called, "What's the matter?" No response.

"Mom?" Still no response. That got me worried. I got out of bed and made my way to my parents' room. I knocked on the door.

My mom's voice groggily said, "Come in." When I stepped into the room, my mom asked, "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing of you," I said. "Why did you wake me up?"

"I didn't wake you up," said Mom.

"But you must have," I said, "I clearly remember being shaken awake, and you saying to me, 'Katie, wake up'."

By now, my dad was awake too. He turned to face me, and said, "Your mother usually only calls you sweetheart, not Katie."

"But I know I didn't imagine it," I said, "I was actually shaken awake."

My dad thought for a moment, and then said, "Who do you know that calls you Katie consistently, and has a voice that could be mistaken for your mother's?"

"Hmmm…" I thought for a moment, "The only people that come to mind are Sheila and…"

"And who?" my dad asked.

"A-And Edward," I choked. "Oh my gosh!" I said, "The dream!" I ran out of the room leaving two very perplexed parents behind. I had to find out if my theory was correct.

I ran into my room and shut the door behind me. "Edward…Are you in here?" I couldn't see or hear anything. I was wrong. I hung my head and climbed back into bed.

I waited for several minutes, but sleep wouldn't come. I wanted to know what that experience had been. Suddenly, something grabbed my hand. I shrieked and tried to pull away, but it just held on tighter.

"Katie!" a voice said, "Can you hear me?"

I knew instantly who that voice belonged to. "Edward? Where are you?"

I felt him grab my other hand, and I heard some muffled sounds. I was sure that he was trying to speak to me, but I couldn't understand him.

"Edward, I can't tell what you're saying," I said.

"Can…hear…now?" he asked.

"Almost," I said, "But you're fading out on every other word."

"Is this any better?" asked Edward.

"Yes, I can hear you clearly now," I said, "Why couldn't I hear you before?"

"Everyone has a dominant psychic ability, and a secondary one," said Edward, "It just took me awhile to figure out what yours are."

"What are mine?" I asked.

"Your dominant strength is Clairsentience, which means 'clear feeling'. That's why you could feel my presence and my touch," said Edward, "Your secondary strength is Clairaudience, which means 'clear hearing' which is why you can hear me speak to you. Since it's only your secondary strength though, it took me a while to be able to make myself heard. I'm just glad that you have that ability at all."

"But, can't everyone see and hear ghosts?" I asked.

"No, definitely not," said Edward, "I doubt that you can even see me."

"Of course not, it's pitch black," I said.

"Then turn on the light," he said.

I turned on the light and looked around. Edward wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where are you, Ed?" I asked. No reply. "Please, Edward, don't leave just yet."

Just then, I felt him come up behind me. I turned around, but still couldn't see him. The light switch then appeared to switch off all by itself. "What did you do that for?" I asked.

"You lose your concentration with the light on," he said, "You couldn't hear a word I was saying."

I heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn't left yet. I was glad about that.

So, I turned my face in the general direction where I felt his presence and said, "Edward, I had this dream today…"

"You received my message?" said Ed, "Good, that should make things easier."

"You sent me that dream?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then, you really are going to come back to life?" I asked.

"I hope so, but I don't have much time," he said, "I need to come back before the days start to grow longer again, or I'll never get another chance."

"When do the days start growing longer?" I asked.

"December 25th," he said, "Christmas day."

"But that's only three weeks away!" I said, "How can you possibly come back in that short a time?"

"It's a slim chance, I know," he said, "But I have no other choice. I have to try." He paused.

"And I'll need your help," he said.

"MY help? What can I do?" I asked.

"I've talked with the keeper of the Gate. He told me that the only possible way for me to be resurrected in that short a time is by a human transmutation," he said.

"But I…" I began.

"He said that since it was meant to be, that no punishment would be given to the one doing the transmutation," he said.

I was too stunned for words. A human transmutation? Ed being resurrected? Was it even possible?

"Who is to perform the transmutation?" I asked.

"You're the only one that can possible accomplish it," said Edward.

"Me? I don't know anything about alchemy!" I said, "You'll have to finally someone else."

He placed his hand on my shoulder. "You're the only one who can do it," he said. "I was inside your body for nearly three days, you can communicate with me, and you're a member of the family I am to join."

I gasped. "You're going to join our family?"

"Not only that, but I will be your brother for real, not just figuratively," said Edward.

"I'm going to have you as a brother?" I asked excitedly.

"It's meant to be," he said. "The keeper of the Gate said that my meeting you wasn't a coincidence, that fate brought me here. I'm being given another family to help me reach my destiny this time around."

"Oh, I want this more than anything else," I said, "But how will I be able to learn to do a human transmutation in three weeks' time?"

"It's cutting it close, I know," he said, "But I'll help you as much as I possibly can. You'll be able to figure it out though, I'm sure."

"I sure hope so," I said.

"I'm going to leave now, and let you get some rest." I then felt him plant a kiss on my forehead. "Good night, sis."

I just stood there silent for a moment, surprised at what had just happened. Then he was gone.

_**Ok, now you can all feel free to kill me if you still don't like the way my story's going, hehe. At least you now have a taste of what I'm up to, so you're free to pass judgment now.**_

_**Heh, looks like Edward really did get used to the "touchy-feely" ways of the family after all, hehe.**_

**_Did you know that everyone really does have at least a little psychic ability? (In real life, not just my story.) I'm actually Clairsentient (why do you think I had Katie be Clairsentient? I know that ability best! Heh). I can always tell what someone else is feeling, whether they want to admit it or not, unless my own feelings are getting in the way. I get strange sensations when I go past cemeteries too. Strangely enough, I walk past this one funeral home nearly every day, and I don't ever feel that strange sensation. Maybe ghosts don't get restless until they get to the cemetery, who knows? Heh. I'm not very Clairaudient though. Maybe that's a good thing. Hehe._**

_**Ok, I know, I'm weird. Feel free to say it. If I wasn't so weird, I wouldn't be able to come up with such an interesting story, now would I? Hehehe…All writers are just a slight bit crazy, I'd say.**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story. Drop in tomorrow for the next chapter, and REVIEW! Yeah, reviews!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_Wow! I can't believe how many reviews that last chapter got! Thank you! I love you all! (Sends hugs and kisses out to everyone.) This is absolutely incredible. People have always told me "Write what you know." Well, this is the first time I've actually taken that seriously, and I can't believe the response! Wow! (Yes, it is strange that what I happen to know is metaphysical stuff, heh. I'm just weird is all.)_**

**_Anyway, sorry that this chapter's a little bit shorter than most. It's not terribly short, just a little shorter, like Ed._**

**_Ed: Hey!_**

**_Me: Oh, sorry buddy, I didn't mean to be rude._**

**_Ed: Well, don't call me short!_**

**_Me: Why not? I'm short, and you don't see me getting upset about it. You're actually lucky, because at least you still have some growing to do._**

**_Ed: Haha! Shorty! Shorty! Shorty!_**

**_Me: Hey!_**

**_Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!_**

**_Disclaimer: I still don't own FullMetal Alchemist. I don't think that Ed would want me to own him anyway, would you, Ed?_**

**_Ed: What, are you crazy? Nobody owns me!_**

**_Me: Well, your original creator does._**

**_Ed: Well, maybe she does, but you don't! HA!_**

**_Sigh. Enjoy the story everybody. What am I going to do with this guy?_**

I had been having difficulty deciding what to spend my Christmas gift fund on, since I didn't have enough to buy any really great presents. After last night's enough with Edward, however, I knew. I had to buy the materials that would make up his body. Being reunited with Edward would be a gift enough for the three of us. It was priceless, as a matter of fact. I just hoped that I could pull this off.

I went downstairs after I got out of bed, and found my mother standing over a pot on the stove. "Mother?" I asked.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She turned and faced me.

"You had told me that I could take a week off from school if I needed to, since my best friend died. I tried to get through school without doing that, but my grades are starting to suffer. Would it be alright if I took that week off now?" I asked.

My mother stared at me for a moment, and then said, "Of course you can take a week off from school, sweetheart. The death of a loved one is one of the hardest things to deal with. I'm surprised that you didn't ask to stay home before now."

I managed a weak smile. I was really lucky to have such and understanding family.

After I ate breakfast, I announced to my mom that I was going for a walk.

"Where to?" she asked.

"I don't really know," I said, "Wherever I end up, I guess."

"Just be careful, sweetheart," my mother said, and then kissed me. "I love you very much."

"I love you too," I said as I hugged her. I then turned and walked out the door.

"Let's see," I mused to myself, "I have the rest of the week off from school, and then two weeks for Christmas break. That should give me enough free time to try and attempt this."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Edward had scribbled the materials that make up a human body and their exact amounts on this scrap of paper sometimes after I had gone to sleep.

"I think that I can at least get some of these things at the drugstore. I also have some connection with some of the staff at the local high school. Maybe I can get them to let me borrow a few things from their chemistry lab," I said to myself.

I walked into the drugstore. Some of the materials were indeed easy to find, such as Iron and Potassium. Others were not quite so easy. I prayed that the people I knew in the high school staff were in a good mood today.

I paid for the items I found up at the cash register. "Here's your change," said the cashier. Hmm, ninety-five cents. There wasn't much left. I hope that I could get the rest of the materials soon, somehow. After all, I had yet to learn about alchemy.

I decided not to go directly home, so I took an alternate route which took me past the library. It had been a long time since I'd even gone to the library, so I decided that I'd just go inside and see what was new.

I browsed the suggested reading for my age group. No on writes anything good for my age group these days, I thought. Okay, maybe I do have strange tastes, but still…

I decided to take a look in the adult non-fiction section. There were usually one or two books that interested me there. Like I said, I have an unusual taste for books.

I was looking in the religion and philosophy section, when I felt something brush the back of my neck. I jumped and spun around, but saw nothing. A book fell off the shelf.

I'd better put that back, I though. I picked it up and read the title: Meditation. Ok, that's weird, I thought, why did that fall off the shelf? I was about to replace the book when other hand shot up.

"What the…?" I said. When I saw where my hand was resting, my face turned white. It was resting on a book about alchemy!

"E-Edward, are you here?" I asked. No response. I shrugged it off. I grabbed the book on alchemy, replaced the book on meditation, and turned to leave. Then, I heard something fall off the shelf again.

I turned back to see what it was. It was the same meditation book as before. Strange, I though, I'm sure that I put that on the shelf properly last time. I picked up the book and put it back on the shelf a second time.

Right before my eyes, the book slid off the shelf all by itself and fell to the floor. I got the message.

"You want me to read this, don't you, Edward?" I said, "But why? What does meditation have to do with alchemy?" No response. Fine, I'd check out the book.

After I left the library, I started just walking aimlessly. I had no where I needed to go right now, after all. I was carrying the two books in my right arm, with the meditation book on the top.

Suddenly, the meditation book opened by itself. I read the first line on the page, "Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed."

I sighed, "Very well, Edward." I headed for the park, since it was nearby. There was a secluded spot right next to the creek, so I sat down there.

I opened the meditation book and read the first couple chapters. The second chapter had a meditation exercise at the end. Ok, I'll try it, I thought.

I read the excerpt from the exercise, "Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Sit in a comfortable position, and close your eyes. Take several deep breaths and clear your mind. Say a mantra ever few seconds, concentrating only one the words you're saying. Just about anything will do for a mantra. Some good mantras are love, all is one, one is all, and reciting the alphabet. Of course, the most popular mantra of all is 'om'. If your thoughts wander, just bring them back and continue. With practice, you'll be able to keep your thoughts focused for longer periods of time."

"Love" seemed the easiest of the various mantras mentioned, so I picked that. I got into a comfortable position, closed my eyes, and began chanting, "Love…love…love…"

It was no more than a few minutes after I started when a voice resounded through my head, "Katie!"

I came to with a start. Edward was trying to talk to me?

"_You get distracted when the light is on."_

I understood now. He had only been able to communicate at night because I got distracted when it was light. That was why he wanted me to meditate, so that he could communicate.

I began to meditate again. "Love…love…love…" After a few minutes, I heard Edward speak again. "Katie, can you hear me now?"

(Yes, I can hear you,) I replied back telepathically. I wasn't sure if Edward could still pick up telepathic transmission, but I had to give it a try. Speaking aloud would have broken my trance.

"Good," said Edward, "I was worried that you weren't going to figure it out."

He understood my telepathic communications. That was a good sign.

(Edward,) I said, (Why do you still understand my telepathic communications?)

"Because I'm spirit," said he, "Psychic ability functions on a spiritual level, so it comes naturally to me."

(Will you still be able to communicate this way when you come back to life?) I asked.

"I don't know," said Edward, "A material body tends to hinder it somewhat."

(Why didn't you just communicate this way with me before?) I asked, (Wouldn't it have been easier?)

"I tried, but you don't receive telepathic impressions very well unless I'm inside your body," said Edward.

(I see,) I said, (So what do you want me to do now?)

"Read that book on alchemy," said Edward, "It's primitive, since it was written on this side of the Gate, but it'll give you a good foundation. I'll teach you more about it when you get more advanced."

I could feel that Edward was about to leave. (Wait,) I called, (When will I hear from you again?)

"I'll come and visit you tonight," he said, "Take care until then."

(Thanks, see you…er, uh, hear you then,) I said. Edward chuckled, and then left.

**_Heh...some people actually think that one can't get a book on alchemy at the library, but did you know that you actually can? It won't have anything about transmutation circles in it (that's an Arakawa creation, clever I'd say), but it'll have other stuff that's kind of interesting. Mostly philosophy though._**

**_I'm only a tiny bit Clairaudient, so I don't fully understand what it's like to be that way. Since I can only hear anyone when I'm in that trance-like state just before I fall asleep, I would assume that one would probably need to put themselves in a trance in order to hear effectively. Of course, if it's a person's main psychic skill, then they might not have any problems whatsoever with hearing someone, but it's not Katie's main psychic skill. That's why she has to meditate._**

**_Oh yeah, maybe some of you are wondering why I made up that "keeper of the Gate". Well, I needed some sort of omniscient person for Ed to talk to from time to time, and that seemed like the best way to have it. Hey, if the Lion King can have an omniscient baboon, why can't I have an omniscient keeper of the Gate? Heh, okay, I'm just being silly now. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Yeah, more awesome reviews! Thank you, thank you all! (Didn't I just say that in the last chapter? Oh well, I still mean it!) Heh, a lot of people are telling me lately that when they first clicked on this story, that they thought it was some sort of Mary Sue type thing, since I had it in first person. Maybe I should change my summary to tell people that that's NOT the case! Heh. Those of you that I've replied to know that my name isn't even Katie at all, it's Melissa. True, Katie's based off of me in a lot of ways, but she's still not me._**

**_I actually rarely ever write in first person, so it was kind of surprising when I just started doing it for this story. It just "felt" right, somehow. Of course, first person is kind of limiting, because I have to remember to keep everything from Katie's point of view, and not jump to Edward's. You have no idea how tempting it is to jump over to Edward's point of view every now and again. Heh. That's actually why I gave Katie that dream a couple chapters back, so that I wouldn't have to jump to Edward's mind. Yep, tricky obstacle, but I managed to get around it somehow._**

**_Anyway, please enjoy the story, and don't forget to review afterwards, because that really encourages me. Thanks so much for your support!_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, and I doubt that I ever will, unless I discover that I'm the long lost relative of Hiromu Arakawa, and that I'm in her will. Of course, I don't look the slightest bit Japanese, so I don't know how that would ever happen. I speak a tiny bit of Japanese though, does that count?_**

As I walked home from the park, I tried to collect my thoughts on what I had just been reading on alchemy. Why did Edward want me to read this, anyway? When he said it was primitive, he wasn't kidding. This book was mostly a book about philosophy. Very little science was actually in it. How could it help me learn REAL alchemy?

I opened the book again and reread the text of the tabula smaragdina:

_It is true, without doubt, and certain: the nether is like the upper and the upper is like the nether, to accomplish the wonders of the One._

I could only handle tiny bits of this at a time. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought, the nether is like the upper and the upper is like the nether.

Nether, that refers to something below something; nether, upper, below, above. Then it clicked, heaven and earth! The earth is like the heavens and the heavens are like the earth. It was starting to make sense, just a little bit. "The One" must be referring to God, or something like that.

_And even as all things arose from the word of the One, so likewise shall all things by virtue of aggregation be born of the One._

I chuckled when I read this. I remembered once reading a Bible verse that said, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." So this was something like and alchemist's bible, eh?

_His father is the son, his mother the moon. The wind carried it in its womb, his wet nurse is the earth. He is the father of all wondrous works in the universe._

Unfortunately, that didn't make much sense to me. I gathered that there were a lot of theological references in there, but I couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I closed the book. I needed for Ed to clarify it before I went on.

I continued walking with my head down, trying so hard to concentrate. My shoe found a pebble, so I kicked it away. If only I could SEE Edward, then maybe I wouldn't have such difficulty getting the information I needed. I could feel his presence and his emotions, but when my own emotions got in the way, like they were at this moment, I couldn't feel anything. I could hear him if I was completely calm and quiet, but there was no way I'd be able to do that right now, not when I was thinking so hard.

As I was walking past a brick house, a little boy who had been playing with his toy trucks on the lawn came running up to me.

"Hello," I said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Jimmy," said the little boy, "Why does your brother have long hair? It makes him look like a girl."

"M-My brother?" I said, "I don't have a brother…yet."

"Then who is he?" Jimmy pointed to an empty patch of air a few feet away.

"I don't see anyone," I said, a bit confused.

"But he's standing right there!" said Jimmy, getting a bit flustered.

"What does he look like?" I asked.

"He's got yellow hair made into a rope on the back of his head," said Jimmy.

A rope…could he be talking about Ed's blond, braided hair? "What's he wearing, Jimmy?" I asked.

"Clothes," he said. I sighed. Talking to a four-year-old was so difficult.

"I mean, what kind of clothes is he wearing?" I asked.

"Black," he said. What was with these one word answers?

A woman came out of the house. "Jimmy, don't bother the nice young lady," she said.

"Oh, he's no bother," I said.

The woman chuckled. "That's good," she said, "He often scares people by telling them about things they can't see."

"I bet he does," I said, "But he's cute."

"Thanks," she said, "Would you both like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"By 'you both' you mean…"

"You and your friend here." She jerked her head in the same direction that Jimmy had pointed earlier.

"Do you mean that you can see him too?" I asked, shocked.

"Why shouldn't I?" said the woman, "Is he a ghost?"

I cautiously nodded my head. The woman smiled a weak smile. "As you can see," she said, "Jimmy got this trait from me."

"Really…" I said, amazed, "Can you talk with him?"

"Why, of course!" she said, "Why don't you two just come inside, and we can talk all you want."

After we were seated and she had served me some tea, she asked me what it was that I wanted to talk to my friend about.

"Would it offend you if I asked a cryptic question first?" I said, "I just need to make sure that you're talking to who I think you are."

"No, of course it wouldn't offend me," she said, "You can't be too careful."

I asked what the meaning of the last passage I had read was. The woman stared at a vacant spot on the opposite side of the couch from me for several moments, and then turned back to me.

"He says that the sun means gold, the moon means silver, and the wind carrying it in her womb is talking about gold being sent from heaven. He says you were right, that it was mostly theology, and that you have the ability to understand this stuff pretty well."

"Wow, I can't believe it! That's exactly what I'd read!" I said.

The moan had turned to face the vacant side of the couch, and then once again turned back to me. "He said that he doesn't know what you're so surprised about, since you're Clairsentient and somewhat Clairaudient. Frankly," she said with a chuckle, "I can't see why either."

"Well," I said, "I'm not Clair…whatever, I can't see him."

She laughed. "The word is clairvoyant. Don't feel bad about not being able to see ghosts. Everyone has their own place in the world, and you just happen to be an empath. Empathy is a wonderful gift. Don't waste it."

The three of us continued chatting for a couple hours before I decided that I'd better be getting home. We said our goodbyes and I promised to visit again. Edward said that he was going to stay a little longer, since she was the easiest person to communicate with that he'd met so far.

The small of a tuna noodle casserole greeted me as I stepped into my house. "Hi, sweetheart!" my mom said, 'You're just in time for dinner."

I washed my hands and sat down at the table as my mother brought in the casserole and the side dishes.

"So how are things going at the salon these days," asked Dad.

"No one's called for an appointment in nearly a week," said Mom, "I'm a little worried."

"Don't worry, business will pick up after the holiday season," said Dad, "Besides, we're got my income coming in too, you know."

"I know," said my mom, "But I don't like just sitting around. Of course it does give me a break from some of those crazy customers. Did you know that I actually have one client that pitches a huge fuss every time I dye her hair? I keep telling her that I'm not God, and that hair dye isn't flawless, but she always makes such a fuss! What does she want me to do, transmute it?"

That got my attention, so I looked at Mom, who said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to remind you of Edward like that. I'll try not to be so careless again. How was your day?"

"It was fine," I said, "I went to the library for a while, and then to the park, and I also walked around a bit."

"Really? Did you get anything at the library?" She asked.

"Yeah, I got this book on meditation. It seems so weird, you know, but it feels really good when you do it," I said. I didn't think that this would be a good time to mention the alchemy book. That would require way too much explanation, which I didn't care to give.

"Well, I'm glad you found something you enjoy," said my mom. My parents were well aware of my unusual taste in reading for someone my age, but they didn't care, as long as I was reading.

After we finished dinner, I decided to go to bed early, hoping that Edward had the same idea. I said good night to my mom and my dad, and went upstairs to my room.

As soon as the light was turned out, I heard a familiar voice say, "I was hoping you'd retire early."

"Edward!" I said, "I was also hoping that you'd come early."

Edward chuckled. "I'm with you most of the time, actually. Since you feel my presence all the time, your senses tend to tune me out, so you don't notice me. It's like keeping the same air freshener in a room. You smell it for a while, then quit being able to smell it, because you get used to it."

"So psychic senses do that too?" I asked.

"They sure do," he said, "Just like any other sense."

"Wait a minute…how do you know about air fresheners?" I asked.

Ed was taken aback. "Well…I've been on this side of the Gate for awhile now. I would certainly hope that I've learned something in all that time."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," I said, blushing a bit.

"So how is your progress with the alchemy book?" asked Edward.

"I've read a couple chapters so far,' I said, "But what does it have to do with real alchemy? It's all a bunch of philosophy and stuff."

"That is just as much 'real' alchemy as whatever I'd teach you," said Edward. "True, that book doesn't have much scientific fact in it, because those on this side of the Gate never got past phase one of alchemy. However, you have to master phase one before you can reach phase two."

"So then, you had to learn all this stuff when you learned alchemy?" I asked.

"Basically, yes. Being on the other side of the Gate, it was worded a little differently, but I had to learn it, nonetheless. All that philosophy will help you to grasp complex concepts in alchemy," said Edward.

I sighed. Was I even going to have enough time to learn what I needed to learn?

"Don't look so down, Katie," said Edward, "You're nearly ready to do your first attempt at a transmutation. As soon as you memorize the tabula smaragdina, I'll walk you through the transmutation process. You don't have to completely understand it, just memorize it for now. It'll make sense to you later."

_It is true, without doubt, and certain: the nether is like the upper and the upper is like the nether, the accomplish the wonders of the One._

_And even all things arose from the word of the One, so likewise shall all things by virtue of aggregation be born of the One._

_His father is the sun, his mother the moon._

_The wind carried it in its womb, his wet nurse is the earth._

_He is the father of all wondrous works in the universe._

_His power is complete; it is so transmuted to earth._

_Separate earth from fire, the fine from the coarse, gentle and with great sagacity._

_It ascends from earth to heaven and down again to earth, to receive the power of the upper and of the nether._

_Thus you shall call the glorious light of the world your own and all darkness shall fall away from you._

_This is the mightiest of all mighty powers, for it conquers all that is fine and penetrates the coarse._

_Thus was the world created, the little world in the image of the big one._

_Thus, in this very manner, wondrous aggregations come about._

_This is why I am called Hermes, the thrice-greatest, for I possess the three parts of wisdom of the universe._

_Accomplished it what I have announced of the sun's labor._

That is the tabula smaragdina. After a week, I finally had it memorized.

"So are you read to attempt your first transmutation?" asked Edward.

"Yeah, but I'm a little nervous," I said.

"Don't be," he said, "I'll be walking you through it every step of the way. It's just a little transmutation, so if something goes wrong, it won't be a big deal. We'll just have to pick ourselves up and try again.

"Are you sure I can do it?" I asked, "You had years of study, after all."

"I know you can do it. Also, my being inside you, performing alchemy through you should take years off of the time it takes you to learn," said Edward.

"Ok, so what do I have to do?" I said.

"Remember the tabula smaragdina that I had you memorize?" I nodded. "That is the basic formula for performing a transmutation," he said.

"That's the formula? But it makes no sense!" I said.

"It's cryptic, I know. Alchemists oftentimes write things cryptically or even write it in some sort of code to prevent abuse," said Edward.

"But how can it help me if I don't understand it?" I asked.

Edward smiled. At least, I heard the smile in his voice, "That's what I'm here for."

I felt something being thrust into my hand. I guess it was a piece of chalk. Then Edward grabbed my fist and dragged it and the chalk in a pattern across the carpet.

"This, as you probably know, is a transmutation circle. It's not in any of the books on this side of the Gate, but this is where the science comes in," said Edward.

"Okay," I said, "What do I do next?"

"Grab something small and simple that you're willing to transmute," said Ed.

I found a stone that I had gathered from the beach a few years ago. I really love this stone, since it reminded me of that special trip, but it was the best thing to use for my first transmutation, so I decided to sacrifice it.

"Now, feel it, turn it around in your hands, and get to know it," said Edward.

I toyed with my stone for a few minutes, just trying to find every little imperfection in it.

"Okay," said Edward, "Place it on the transmutation circle." I did so. "Good," he said, "Now place you hands just inside the circle. There you go, like that. Ok, close your eyes now, and imagine that you're going to that Gate you saw in your dream. It opens. Keep your eyes closed for now."

I felt a strange sensation in my hands. Was it working?

"Since you know the stone, I was you to mentally take it apart, bit by bit," said Edward. After a moment, he said, "Good, now mentally reassemble all the pieces in the way you wanted it to be."

I did as I was told. Just to keep thing simple, I stuck with a simple spherical shape. I didn't want to fail my first transmutation.

"You can open your eyes now," he said. I opened my eyes and ran to turn on the light. I looked at the stone. It was now a perfect sphere shape. I actually had succeeded!

"I can't believe I actually did it!" I said as I flicked the light back off.

"I never doubted it," said Edward, "Before you know it, you'll be doing complex transmutations."

"So that's all there is to it?" I asked.

"No," said Edward, "You merely learned what you needed to know to do a very basic transmutation. There's a lot more that you have to learn."

"But Christmas is less than two weeks away," I said.

"I know," said Edward, "I wish it wasn't so close, but I'm sure that you'll be able to do it."

"I hope so," I said. I held the stone ball in my hand, fingering it. It was hard to believe that I had really transmuted this with alchemy, but I had. Even though this was amazing, it still wasn't enough.

"Tomorrow," I vowed, "I'll do even better."

_**Heh, you should try reading aloud the tabula smaragdina by candlelight sometime. It sounds totally awesome in that environment! (I don't know why it does either, but it sure does sound awesome, even if it's difficult to understand.) Heck, I don't have a choice but to read things by candlelight sometimes right now, since the power's off at my house, heh. (I come to the library to type this up.) Oh yes, you're probably wondering what "tabula smaragdina" means. Well, "tabula" means tablet, and "smaragdina" means emerald, hence the meaning "emerald tablet". This inscription was found on an emerald green tablet a long time ago (or at least, so the story goes), and they have no idea who wrote it, but the alchemists assumed that this was the formula for performing a transmutation, specifically, turning things into gold. (There are an awful lot of gold and silver references in this text, as a matter of fact. Even the term "thrice-greatest" is referring to it. The three parts of wisdom are gold, silver, and man's sagacity. A little weird, but that's the way it is.)**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_Welcome back, everyone! I'll try to keep my author notes down to a minimum from now on, since I seem to be getting a bit long-winded lately. Sorry about that._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Ed wouldn't let me own him anyway. He's just that way._**

I was again at the park, meditating. Sure, it would be nice if I got the chance to talk to Ed, but I was mainly doing this to calm down. This morning had been rough.

I had succeeded at several transmutations since the night of my first one, each one growing progressively more complex. However, with only a week left and my transmutations still being so simple, I kind of flipped out early this morning and took it out on Ed. The poor guy, it wasn't his fault. My nerves were just on edge, and he was an easy target.

"Katie," Ed's voice suddenly appeared, "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier."

(You have nothing to be sorry about, Ed, I'm the one who should be sorry, and I am. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you,) I said.

"Well, I still have to apologize, because you were right, I needed to find a faster way for you to learn," said Edward.

(Did you find a faster way?) I asked.

"Possibly," said Edward, "I've been talking with the keeper of the Gate again, and he says that there might be a way."

(What way would that be?) I asked.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" asked Edward.

(I don't know,) I said, (I've studied many different beliefs and philosophies, and I don't really know what I believe; but I'm open-minded.)

"That's good," said Edward, "Because the keeper of the Gate said that those who display a strong psychic ability on this side of the Gate have a good chance of having been an alchemist if they ever lived on the other side of the Gate during one of their previous incarnations."

(So are you saying that I already know alchemy?) I asked.

"There's a good chance you might," said Edward, "But to find out, you would have to connect with your past life."

(So?) I asked.

"So, we have no idea what you went through in your past life, and it could be traumatic, for all we know," said Edward.

(How bad could it have been?) I asked, (I'm not a paranoid freak now, am I?)

"Of course not," said Edward, "But your conscious memories were wiped clean as soon as you reincarnated. All the traumatic experiences you may or may not have gone through are buried in your subconscious."

(So is there some exercise we can do to get me in touch with that part of myself?) I asked.

"Yes," he said, "But we have to take it slowly, since we have no idea what you'll encounter. Chances are good that your most immediate previous incarnation was during my time, and you know how hectic that time was."

(That was indeed a hectic time,) I said, (But how do we find out if my previous life was traumatic?)

"Put yourself in as deep a trance as possible," he said, "Just say whatever comes to mind, and I'll remind you of what you said after you come out of it if you forget."

(I don't need someone to put me in the trance?) I asked.

"You're perfectly capable of doing it yourself," said Edward, "It would be better if you practiced doing it yourself, so that you aren't dependant on anyone."

(Okay, I'll give it a try,) I said, (Wake me up if I start panicking.)

I put myself deeper, and deeper, and deeper into a trance. Images slowly began to fade in. I was in a huge room. A lot of bright light was around me, but I couldn't make it out, the images were too hazy. I felt the presence of many other souls, unable to move on. People were standing around me, and two of them were fighting. One of them plunged something through the other's heart, causing them to fall over…dead. I screamed. I didn't want to see this anymore. This was too horrific of a memory.

Suddenly, I felt Edward shaking me awake. I was so relieved that I cried for several minutes before I finally got my bearings and could talk with Edward again.

(You were right, Edward, my previous life was traumatic,) I said.

"Care to talk about it?" said Edward.

I told him everything I saw. He wanted more information, but I couldn't give him any, because the whole thing had been hazy.

"You said that you felt the presence of many other souls?" Edward asked.

(Yes,) I said.

"Then you were probably part of the Philosopher's Stone," said Edward, "And you were seeing me duke it out with Envy."

(But if I was part of the Philosopher's Stone, I would've been dead, wouldn't I? How could I have watched you?) I asked.

"Well, you were and you weren't," said Edward, "You're not dead until you're a completely disembodied spirit, but you were attached to the pure substance that makes up the Philosopher's Stone, so you weren't really dead."

(But if I was part of the Philosopher's Stone, then I probably wasn't an alchemist,) I said.

"There were some great alchemists who went into the Philosopher's Stone," said Edward, "So don't pass judgment on yourself based on that."

(So then, how can I find out who I was?) I asked.

"You will have to keep doing this until you make the connection," said Edward, "But since you obviously had a hard life, you need to take it in small doses."

Later that day, I went to the principal of the local high school, and asked him if I could borrow some chemicals from the chemistry lab for a very important science experiment.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it?" he asked.

"Eleven," I said.

"But eleven isn't even a choice," said the principle.

"I know, but this is a lot more important than the average important request," I said.

"Well, what would you need?" he asked. I pulled out my list of materials and handed it to him.

"I already have most of the things on the list," I said, "But some things just can't be found anywhere else."

He read the list aloud, "Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Iodine, Iron, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Fluorine, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Tin, Vanadium, Zinc, Silica, Boron, and Germanium. You sure have some strange things on this list. What kind of experiment are you doing, anyway?"

"It's a secret," I said, "I'm not allowed to tell, but I'm not going to blow anyone's head off, if that's what you want to know. I know what I'm doing." At least, I hope I do, I thought.

"I'm not really supposed to lend out the chemicals," said the principal.

"Please, you have no idea just how important this is!" I said.

He must've seen something in my eyes, because he then said that it went against his better judgment, but he'd let me borrow the chemicals I needed. He said that he couldn't say why, but something was telling him that this was extremely important, and that I needed those chemicals immediately. I suspected that Edward was whispering in his ear.

Anyway, he dropped the chemicals off at my house later that day at a time when, thankfully, my parents weren't around. I didn't like keeping this from them, but if I told them what I was going to do, they would either get their hopes up, or they would try to discourage me. I didn't consider either option favorable. It would be better to have them find out when it had already been done.

I decided to try once again to get in touch with my past life. I put myself in a deep trance until images started to appear again. The images were still hazy, but I was able to make out the form of Edward, judging from last time. I appeared to be chasing him, trying to hurt him, but he kept dodging me. I didn't like this, so I came back out of the trance. I apparently knew Edward in my last lifetime, but it must not have been a pleasant relationship, or I wouldn't be trying to hurt him.

When Edward came to visit me that night, I told him what I'd seen and how I'd tried to hurt him. Tears were coming to my eyes, as these memories were quite painful. What kind of horrible person was I?

Edward tried to console me. "It doesn't matter who you were in your past, because you're not that person anymore. You're merely trying to dig for some information that that person knew."

"But do you know who I was yet, judging by that?" I asked.

"I've been attacked by several alchemists, and I wouldn't have any idea which one you were." He paused for a second, and then said, "I just hope that we can get along better in this life."

"I hope so too," I said, "I really care about you, Edward."

"I really care about you too, Katie," said Edward.

Tears started to come to my eyes when he said that, but I blinked them back. I'd been emotional enough today.

"Once I figure out who I am, how hard will it be to get my alchemy knowledge?" I asked.

"That should be fairly easy," said Edward, "Once you know who you are."

"I'm going to try again then," I said. I went deep down into my trance, and watched as the images unfolded before me. After a moment, I screamed and awake with a start. I was shivering.

"What did you see?" asked Edward.

"I saw…" I said, shivering, "…A man explode from the inside."

Edward gasped. "You mean you saw…" I nodded. I could feel him slowly step away from me.

"Th-Then that means…" said Edward, "That you're…Scar."

**_I'm sorry, but this author note is unavoidable. I have several people reading this that aren't familiar with FullMetal Alchemist, so writing to them individually to explain everything that's going on isn't practical. (Yes, believe it or not, some people do read fan fiction without knowing the characters well. It's a good way to get to know the characters.)_**

**_Scar is a man from a country called Ishbal (hope that's spelled right, my fansub had bad subtitles) which is a lot like the countries in the Middle East. The military in Ed's country attacked and annihilated Ishbal for no apparent reason, with the State Alchemists doing the greatest damage. Now, even though alchemy is forbidden by the Ishbalan god, Ishbala, Scar had set out to destroy all state alchemists by using alchemy to destroy them. (He places his hand on their head and uses an alchemical reaction which causes them to explode from the inside.)_**

**_Even though Edward was never involved in that war, Scar still keeps trying to kill him for being a State Alchemist. Strangely enough though, Scar has a soft spot in his heart for Ed's younger brother, Alphonse. Scar had actually seen his own older brother die, so that drives him even more to kill Edward, being an older brother AND a State Alchemist._**

**_Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Welcome back to another chapter of my story. Hope you're enjoying it so far._**

**_Disclaimer: I still don't own FullMetal Alchemist. (Insert witty remark here) Yes, I'm running out of witty remarks. Too early in the morning. (I know, I'm a night owl. Why am I up so early? I don't really know, but you're lucky that you get to read this so soon.)_**

"I'm Scar?" I said, "You've got to be kidding! I would never lay a hand on you."

"But those memories," said Edward, "They all add up. You must be Scar."

"So does that mean that you're going to avoid me now?" I asked.

"No," said Edward, "I won't avoid you. Even if you really were Scar in your last life, you aren't that same person anymore. Besides, even he had a good side. He saved my little brother's life, after all."

"True, but I still don't want to be Scar," I said.

"Good," said Edward, "Don't be."

I sat silent for a few minutes. I could tell that Edward felt awkward as well. Finally, I spoke up, "Even if I were to tap into my memories from my past life as Scar, and gain that alchemy knowledge, how would that help me to resurrect you? All he knew how to do was destroy."

"I know," said Edward, "That's been bothering me. Tapping into your memories of Scar would give you a good jumpstart in alchemy, but you'd still need to do a lot of study, because of the nature of his alchemy."

I sighed. Was all this even worth the effort, since I appeared to be doomed to failure? I only had a week, just one week, to learn how to transmute Ed, or he'd never get another chance.

"Edward," I said, "I never asked you. What will happen to you if I fail to resurrect you in time?"

"I would probably have to become one of the nature spirits," he said.

"You mean, like a fairy?" I asked.

"Something like that," said Edward, "But I'm hoping that that doesn't have to happen. Fairies aren't immortal like most people think. They become smaller and smaller over the years until they disappear."

"Do you mean that they die completely, no soul to move on, or anything?" I said.

"That's right," said Edward.

I buried my face in my hands. "I only have one week to keep you from that fate, and I don't have a clue what I'm doing!"

Edward placed his hand on my shoulder, and said, "Don't be so hard on yourself, just do your best. I'll help you as much as I possibly can. Now why don't we try to connect you with your past knowledge of alchemy? It's a start, at least."

I wiped the tears from my eyes and said, "Okay, how do I do it?"

"You do it exactly the same way that you connected to your past life before, but with the added knowledge of who you are," said Edward.

I once again put myself into that deep trance, with the knowledge that I was Scar, and wait for the images to show up…but nothing appeared. I tried again…nothing.

"I'm not getting anything," I said, "Not even random images."

"Maybe you're trying too hard," said Edward, "Try it again without pressuring yourself so much."

I put myself into the trance state a third time; again…nothing.

"I'm still not getting anything," I said.

"Hmmm…" said Edward, "Once you know who you are, it should be easy to obtain this information. So, either you're not doing it right, or you're not Scar."

"I hope I'm not Scar," I said, "The thought kind of scares me."

"Well, it appears that you're not him after all," said Edward, patting my shoulder, "I'm kind of relieved."

I managed a small chuckle. "I can't really say that I blame you for that."

December 18th, six days remaining. I had to resurrect him by Christmas Eve, or it would be too late. If only I knew who I had been in my past life. I would just have to go through the list of everyone that Edward ever knew that somewhat fit with my past life memories.

Then I remembered something. My mom and dad had long ago struggled with a bothersome memory which neither of them could actually remember having ever been through, so they went to a psychologist who gave them past life regression therapy. The psychologist, and probably Mom and Dad as well, didn't actually believe in reincarnation, but they couldn't deny how effective the therapy was. I would ask them about it. Maybe that could lend a clue.

I came downstairs after getting dressed, and found Mom cooking breakfast, while Dad was reading a newspaper. "Good morning, sweetheart," my mom said.

"Good morning," I said, "I want to ask you guys a question."

My dad put down his paper which I knew was the go ahead signal.

"A long time ago, you two went to this psychologist guy, right?" I asked, "Did you ever find out who you guys said you were?"

My dad chuckled. "Yes, he told us what we'd said after we came out of the trance. He said that we said that we were a couple doctors."

"Doctors," I said, "Really? Then what was that bothersome memory about?"

"Apparently, somebody killed us," said Dad. Mom chuckled.

"Silly, isn't it?" she said.

"I don't think it's silly," I said, "Did you ever find out what your names were?"

"We had a last name…what was it, honey?" my dad said.

"Rockbell," my mom said. I gasped. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," I said, waving my hands, "I just remembered a student at my school named Rockbell that I haven't gotten a present for yet."

"Oh, that's all it is," said my dad, "I didn't know that there was anyone there by the name of Rockbell."

"She's new," I said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go get her a present."

"Don't you want to eat breakfast?" my mom asked.

"I'll be back soon," I said. With that, I grabbed my coat and left.

"They were the Rockbell doctors, Winry's parents," I mused to myself as I walked, "Yet they never made the connection. Does that mean that I'm Winry? No, she never would've been able to learn alchemy, and I can. So, who am I?"

I walked to the park, and again sat in the secluded spot by the river. The water had frozen over, but it was still peaceful here, and with it being so cold, there were fewer people here than normal. This was the perfect chance to talk to Edward.

I began repeating my mantra, and within a few minutes, Edward's voice finally came through. (Edward, did you hear what my parents said? Were you there?)

"Yes, I heard what they said. I was just as surprised as you were."

(What do you suppose this means?)

"It means that I'm being put into a family with souls that I knew in their previous lifetimes. That must be why this family was chosen for me."

(But then, who do you suppose I am?)

"Well, seeing that you're not Scar, I can't match up all your memories with any one person. Why don't you try Sensei, as she has attacked me."

I chuckled, then put myself into that deep trance with the knowledge that I was Izumi, and waited for images. No such luck.

(I'm still not getting anything.)

"Darn, I was hoping that would work. She would've been a good candidate too, having actually performed a human transmutation."

(She would've been, but I guess that I'm not her.)

"I'll go ask the keeper of the Gate again. Maybe he can point out something I've overlooked."

(Good idea.)

"I'll check back with you soon then. Keep trying to figure it out until then."

(Okay, I will.)

Then he left again. I opened my eyes and found that I was shivering. I'd better get home, I thought.

I walked in the front door of my house and hung up my coat in the closet. I smelled hash browns. I hoped Mom had saved me some.

"Hi, sweetheart, back already?" said Mom, "Did you get Miss Rockbell a nice present?" I nodded. "Really? And you didn't even need this?" My mom held up my purse. I was paralyzed. I couldn't say a thing in response.

"Would you care to tell me what you've been doing behind my back?" asked Mom.

What to do, what to do…I couldn't let her find out about Edward before Christmas. Wait, that was it! He WAS kind of like a Christmas present, wasn't he?

"The truth is," I said, "I'm actually working on YOUR Christmas present. I've already paid for it, but it takes some…maintenance."

"Why, you sweet thing," said Mom, "Did you spend your whole Christmas gift fund on us? I noticed that you only had a few coins left."

I smiled, "Sorta. It's a special gift." I then turned and walked into the kitchen to find some breakfast.

I overheard Mom tell Dad, "She spent her whole Christmas gift fund on us, wasn't that sweet of her?"

You don't know the half of it, Mom.

**_Hey, sorry that I threw you all for a loop there, making you all think she was Scar. (I can't make it easy for you to figure me out, can I?) Feel free to kill me if you want, you all have the right to. Just be nice while you're killing me, ok? Heh._**

**_For those of you who don't know FMA very well, Izumi was Ed and Al's alchemy teacher. They had studied on their own for a few years, and then they apprenticed themselves to her. She's normally kind and considerate, but can get pretty rough when angered. She has literally thrown Ed and Al a number of times, especially after she found out that Ed had become a State Alchemist, "a dog of the military"._**

**_Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review! Yeah!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Wow, no one killed me for throwing them for a loop with that last chapter! Yeah! Hehehe...I never know what people will get upset about, but I'm glad that you're enjoying the story anyway._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. (Insert zeeky buggy doog here) BOOM! Wait, that's not a FullMetal Alchemist joke, what's that doing there? (See The Demented Cartoon Movie on if you want to get the joke.) Ok, I must be running out of good ideas._**

I lay awake in bed, my head resting on my hands. I was waiting for Edward to show up. Then I felt his presence enter the room. Finally, he was here.

"Edward," I said, "Did you find anything out?"

"Yes," he said, "The keeper of the Gate told me that those in this family, and those close to this family, are the same souls that I was close to back in my time."

"So that's why this family was chosen for you," I said, "But did he saw who I was?"

"No," he said," But he gave me a way to find out. Since we know that you, your family, your friends, and acquaintances are all souls that I was close to, we can find out who you are by elimination."

"But if we're having such a hard time figuring me out, how would we be able to figure them out? They're not even psychic."

"I know," said Edward, "But many of them had strong traits that they would carry into this life. If we can spot those traits, we'll have nailed them."

"Well, it's worth a shot, I guess," I said, "Let's make a list of everyone you were close to, so that we can cross them out as we identify them."

"Ok," said Edward, "Let's see, there was my mother, Al, Winry…"

We continued listing until we couldn't think of any more names. Then Edward kissed me goodnight, and left.

December 19th, five days remaining. I got up bright and early so that I could start finding out who these various people were as soon as possible.

I was sitting at the dinging room table, and a bowl of cereal, when my friend Tammie stopped by. She placed a wrench on the table and said, "I'm done borrowing your dad's wrench. I finished what I was making for my dad."

Wrench? Tammie? Little red flag going up. I got to scratch one name off the list, that of Winry.

Maybe I could even get Tammie's help on this. "Tammie, I'm trying to find out who among our friends and family acts most like the people Edward knew back in his time. Does anybody you know remind you of one of those people?"

Tammie put her hand under her chin to think for a moment, and then said, "You know, Sheila always reminds me of Ed's mother." Scratch that name off the list.

Tammie continued talking, "Heh, I've even accidentally called her 'Trisha' at times."

Trisha? That's right, what about Trisha the shadow stepper and her mother? They were kind of annoying, especially Trisha, yet helpful in a way, and knew so much. Who could they be?

"Who in FullMetal Alchemist is an annoying know-it-all?" I asked Tammie.

"That's easy," she said, "Dante, all the way, and Hohenheim is the second place runner up."

That would certainly make sense. I crossed off two more names and chuckled to myself. Hohenheim became a woman in this life!

"I can think of some obnoxious characters too, like Major Armstrong and Auntie Pinako," said Tammie.

"Obnoxious, but lovable," I said, "Like my grandma and grandpa." I smacked my forehead. Of course, who else would they be? I scratched them off the list.

I picked up the list and sighed. There were still too many names to draw a conclusion as to who I was. I hoped that I would figure it out soon.

"So what kind of project are you working on here, anyway?" Tammie asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said.

"Well, that just makes me want to hear it all the more," said Tammie, "Come on, lay it on me."

I sighed, and gave in. Who could resist her begging? No wonder Edward had always given in to Winry's whims.

"If I tell you," I said, "You must promise not to tell anyone else. This doesn't need to be kept a secret for very long, only until after Christmas, but I need you to be tight-lipped until then."

"I won't utter a word," said Tammie, "My lips are sealed. Now tell me, what is it?" She leaned forward eagerly.

So, I started at the point where I'd had that strange dream, and ended with the part about my trying to find out who I was, so that I could recall the memories of how to do alchemy in time to resurrect Ed.

"My goodness!" said Tammie, "Are you just pulling my leg?"

"If I were pulling your leg, I wouldn't have made you promise not to tell anyone," I said.

"Then, what's this list about?" asked Tammie.

"Edward figured that we could find out who I was faster if we found out who those around us were. Then, by process of elimination, I'd found out who I was," I said.

"Wow, how many people have you got so far?" asked Tammie.

"Well you just helped me figure out most of them," I scoffed.

"Oh…right. Who do you have that I didn't help with?" she asked.

"I only have one other person figured out thus far…you," I said.

"Me? Who do you say I am?" asked Tammie.

"Isn't it obvious, Winry?" I said with a chuckle.

"I'm Winry?" she said.

"Yep."

"That's so awesome! Does that mean that I know how to make auto-mail too?" said Tammie.

"Maybe," I said, "You should try and tap into your subconscious mind."

"I'm going to go and see if I can," she said, getting up to leave, "That's so awesome!"

"Just don't spill the beans about…"

"I won't," she finished as she stepped out the door.

I shook my head in amusement. Tammie was such a character.

I continued marking off names, practicing alchemy, and studying the philosophy behind the science for the next few days. If I could either cram the information into my head at record speed, or discover who I was and tap into my subconscious mind, I might be able to pull this off. I certainly wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Finally, December 24th arrived. If I didn't perform the transmutation by sun up tomorrow morning, Edward would be lost forever.

I dragged my feet down into the kitchen that morning and pulled out the carton of milk. It didn't taste bad to me after Edward left my body after all, so I poured myself a glass and took a sip. I sighed, and placed the glass on the counter.

My mom noticed my downcast expression, and asked, "What's the matter, sweetheart? Do you have the last-day-before-Christmas blues?"

I looked at my mom and managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," I said.

"Why don't you go and call one of your friends?" said Mom, "Maybe they could cheer you up."

"Maybe," I said, "I'll try that. Thanks, Mom. "I grabbed my milk and walked out of the kitchen, towards the living room.

I plopped myself down on the couch, picked up the phone, and dialed Tammie's number. I sat back against the couch, and waited. One ring…two…three.

"Hello?" came the voice from the other end of the line.

"Hi, Tammie?" I said.

"Oh hi, Katie, what's up?" said Tammie.

"Nothing, that's the problem," I said.

"Still haven't figured it out yet, huh?" said Tammie.

"Nope," I said, "And it's getting me all depressed. Today's the last day I have to figure it out, and I'm no closer than I was a week ago."

"That's really too bad," said Tammie.

Then I noticed something playing in the background on her end of the line.

"What are you watching?" I asked.

"FullMetal Alchemist, what else?" she chuckled to herself, "It's more interesting to me now that I know that we all actually lived through this."

"I'm sure it is," I said, "Which episode is it?"

"The one where they're beating up Sloth," she said.

I listened to the noise for a moment and was able to make out Al saying, "Brother, I can't control my movements!"

"Yep, that's that episode alright," I said, chuckling slightly.

We talked for a few more minutes, then Tammie had to go. Her family was going to a family get together, and would be gone for a couple days.

"I hope you have a good time," I said.

"I wish you lots of luck," she said.

"Thanks," I said, "I'm going to need it." We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

I spent the rest of the day studying and meditating. My parents expressed their concern about my keeping to myself all day, but I just passed it off as near Christmas anxiety. Actually, it WAS near Christmas anxiety, just not the kind they thought it was.

By night fall, I was crying. Edward came and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Please don't cry, Katie," he said, "I was wrong to put you under such pressure."

"You had no choice," I sobbed, "I was the only one who could have resurrected you, yet I failed you."

"You haven't failed unless you've failed to try," he said. "There's still a little time left. I'll tell you what; I'll draw up the transmutation circle, while you gather the materials for my body. We'll have everything all ready, so that if you find out who you are, you can immediately perform the transmutation.

I sniffed back my tears and wiped my eyes. "Okay," I said, "Let's do that. I'll continue to try as long as there's hope."

"That's the spirit!" said Ed. While he was busy drawing a transmutation circle for human transmutation, I was quietly grabbing my secret stash of chemicals. I had become quite efficient at maneuvering in the dark during the past few weeks.

Once we had the transmutation circle all set up, I sat back, and waited.

The hours of the night ticked on. I dosed in and out of consciousness as I tried to stay awake for Edward's sake. Sometimes we would strike up a conversation in the hopes that it would jog my memory, but nothing was coming to mind. Finally, the first rays of sunlight began to rise in the east. Was it too late? Had I failed Edward?

Suddenly, my mind went into a frenzy like it never had before, desperately trying to make a connection. Then, I thought of something.

"Edward," I said, "There's a person I've never tried who is a good candidate for being my previous incarnation."

"Who is it?" said Edward excitedly. I didn't bother to answer, as there was no time to lose. I was lowering myself into that deep, deep trance with this person as my intention. I waited for the images to come…and finally, they came! Within second, my mind had taken in more information than I thought I could ever learn in a lifetime.

I opened my eyes. "Edward, quick! Get on the transmutation circle. We have no time to lose!"

Without asking questions, Edward rushed over and stood in the middle of the transmutation circle. I picked up a knife and made a small cut in my finger to add a little of my blood to the mix. This wasn't to transmute a soul, as Edward had thought when he'd tried to resurrect his mother. This was simply lending a bit of my DNA, so that he would truly be my brother.

"Okay, let's do this!" I said. I clapped my hands together once, and then placed them just inside the transmutation circle. I finally knew who I was. I just hoped that I had found out in time.

**_A time comes when all things must end. Sadly, the next chapter is the last one in this story. However, if you really don't want this to be the last you'll see of these characters, then review and let me know. Would you like a sequal perhaps, or a "behind-the-scene-qual" like Lion King 1 1/2? Also, do you like me telling everything from Katie's point of view, or should that change? Please, let me know your thoughts. I need them. Please review, and come back tomorrow to read the conclusionof this story._**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Here it is, the last chapter! Don't cry though, enough of you want a sequal to convince me to create one. (Heck, I would've done it with one request, heh.) I've already got one and a half chapters written of the sequal so far, but I can use all the suggestions and help I can get. I have no idea where I'm going on the story yet._**

**_Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think, ok?_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. Hmmm...Can't think of a witty remark. Yep, my imagination's dead. Ok, my imagination's not dead, but my funnybone is dead. Heh. Ok, maybe I still have some funnyness in me somewhere, but it's not surfacing at the moment, unless you think this rambling is funny. Is it funny? I'm not sure if this is supposed to be funny or not._**

Bright yellow light rose up out of the lines of the transmutation circle and created a vortex swirling all the way up to ceiling. Was I too late, or did I do this in time? As much as I hated waiting for those few minutes, I had no choice but to do so.

Finally, the light died down. As Edward had promised, my body wasn't harmed in any way, and his was formed perfectly, but was it alive?

"Edward?" I took his head and cradled it in my hands. "Edward, are you okay? Please wake up, Edward!"

A few moments of awkward silence followed. Finally, I felt a jolt in Edward's body, and he took a breath. He was alive!

After a few more moments, his eyes fluttered open. He looked at me, smiled, and then put his hand on his forehead and sat up.

"Man, I didn't know that getting your soul bound to a body would cause such a headache!" he said, "Why didn't Al ever tell me about that?"

"I didn't want you to feel back about it, Brother," I said.

Ed's jaw dropped, and he turned and looked at me. "What did you just say?"

I just smiled back. There wasn't any need to say anything.

"Are you…Al?" Edward asked. I nodded my head. "But how can that be? You said that you saw yourself attack me in your memory."

"I had misinterpreted that," I said, "I wasn't attacking you, Sloth was, inside me."

"_Brother, I can't control my movements."_

Edward didn't say anything more. Tears were coming to his eyes, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Without any warning, he got up and threw his arms around me. "Thank you," he sobbed.

We remained in that position for several minutes, just silently enjoying each other's company. The sun had now completely risen, so I could now see him clearly. Unless one were to count the time when my appearance changed somewhat to resemble his, this was the first time I'd actually seen him in this lifetime.

We could have stayed there for hours, but my family tends to get up early on Christmas day, and before long, we heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Edward…Brother," I chuckled, "Do you want them to see you now or later?"

"I'm sort of like your Christmas gift, aren't I?" said Edward, "I think it would be most fun to appear at gift giving time."

"Then you'd better hide," I said, "Because they're coming."

"Gotcha," he said. He got up and went and hid in the closet.

Just then, my mom opened the door. "Well, Merry Christmas, sweetheart. Would you like to come down and eat breakfast before the others get here?"

"Could I eat it up here, since it's Christmas?" I asked.

Mom chuckled. "I don't know why you want to eat up here so badly, but since it's Christmas, I'll let you break the rule this once."

"Thanks, Mom!" I gave her a quick hug as my way of saying "Merry Christmas", and ran downstairs to grab some breakfast.

I grabbed a lot more food than I normally would eat by myself, but Edward needed to eat too, after all. I carried it all back upstairs, while Mom made a comment about my being awfully hungry.

"The coast is clear," I said upon entering my room. Edward climbed out of the closet, and I handed him a plate of food.

He took the plate and exclaimed, "I can't believe that it's been nearly two months since I've eaten last!"

"If you think that's rough, try four years without eating," I said. We both enjoyed a hearty laugh over that.

"Of course," he said, "I still have you beat. I went several decades without eating."

I chuckled. "True, that," I said as I shoved yet another fork full of scrambled eggs in my mouth. "So, tell me, how did you ever wind up getting bound to your clothes, anyway?"

Edward placed his fork back on the plate and cleared his throat. "After I came to this side of the Gate, and gave up hope of ever seeing Al…you…again, I decided to make the most of it by helping other any way I could. After all, I had an advantage over just about everybody else, what with my knowing alchemy.

"Now, I'm sure you're aware that I seem to be a magnet for attracting enemies. Well, there was this one guy that wanted a lot of power, wealth, and glory, and I kept thwarting his plans.

"So, one day, he invited me to dinner, and without thinking, I accepted. He's apparently poisoned my drink though, because I passed out during the meal.

"I woke up later, feel very ill, and in a cold sweat. I knew I was dying. However, there was a woman that claimed that she might have a slight chance of curing me, if I was willing to let her try.

"She told me that the method was something like human transmutation, but modified a little bit, so that she could pull it off. She would pull out the person's soul, transmute their body, and then put the soul back into the body. I had nothing to lose, so I told her to go ahead and try.

"While she was performing the ritual, however, the man who had tried to kill me rushed into the room and shot her on the spot. She had only succeeded in pulling me partway out of my body; hence I was bound to my cloths. I could not reenter my body, because it was now dead.

"The man who killed me took my clothes and shaved my hair and threw them all in the street, hoping that people would trample of them. However, the people I'd helped recognized my clothes, so they took them into their houses and gave them a lot of respect.

"Over the years, however, the younger generation forgot all about me, and one by one, my clothes started ending up in second hand stores. That's where you eventually found me. I was really surprised at the time as well, since you only gravitated towards my clothes, which meant that you know about me. Up until that time, I had thought that I was completely forgotten."

"Wow," I said, 'I never would've guessed. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Edward smiled. "The long wait was worth it to be with you again. Of course, it will take a little getting use to the fact that my brother is now my sister."

I giggled. Yes, that would take some getting use to, indeed.

"Katie," my dad called, "Everyone's here."

"Okay, I'm coming," I said. I turned to Edward and said, "I'll see you in a little bit, when it's time to give MY present!"

Edward chuckled. "Okay, see you soon then…sis." I smiled, and then left the room.

My grandparents were sitting on the couch, while my Mom was sitting nearby, listening to Grandpa brag about his family's traditions. Oh yes, it was quite obvious who he had been in his past life.

I looked around the room. Many of my aunts and uncles and cousins were there, and so were…Tammie and Sheila!

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, "I thought you would be with your families today."

"We are," said Tammie, "I convinced them to come here for the big event. Don't scold me; you said I could talk on Christmas."

"I won't scold you if you haven't told my parents," I said, "We want to surprise them."

"Don't worry, I didn't tell your folks," she said.

"Heh, did you know that my parents were YOUR parents in your last life?" I said.

"What?" said Tammie, "You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not," I said, "Then even remember their last name as well as how they died, but they don't believe that it's a past life memory."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Tammie said with a laugh in her voice.

Dad then walked into the room and motioned for everyone to quiet down. "Thank you all very much for coming. We got a lot more visitors than expected. Katie's gift must really be something." He gave me a wink. "Now we'll start the gift exchange. I'll pass out the presents."

So, Dad passed out all the presents, and we proceeded to open them up. I got a lot of very nice things, like perfume, jewelry, and pretty dresses. (Don't forget that I'm a girl in this life, after all.) Heh, this was a better haul than most years. Of course, I didn't really care what I got this year. I already had received the most priceless gift of all.

Finally, Dad said, "Katie, where's your gift?"

"It's still up in my room," I said.

"Well, would you be willing to get it? I'm just dying to find out what it is. It must be pretty good to attract this kind of crowd," said he.

I laughed. "Yes, it certainly is," I said, "But you might not believe your eyes when you first see it."

I ran out of the room and up the stairs. "Edward, we're ready for you," I said.

Edward stood up, as he'd been sitting on the floor. "I'm a little bit nervous. How are they going to react to my coming back from the dead?" he said.

"I don't know exactly," I said, "But they'll be supremely happy to see you again. I know that much."

"You're sure they'll accept me?" he said.

"Don't be such a worrier," I said, "They even accepted you when you were just a spirit possessing me. They'll be sure to accept you as you are now."

He smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," I said, "Now come on, they're waiting for you."

We both headed down the stairs, and walked towards the living room. I told him to wait just outside the room until my signal.

I walked into the room. All eyes were upon me. "Ladies and gentlemen," I said (hey, this was a big moment), "I would like you to meet my brother, Edward." I motioned towards the door, and Edward stepped into the room.

A hush fell over the entire group. There was an awkward silence for several moments, as no one knew what to say. That is, until my grandma broke the silence by saying, "Well, he looks familiar."

To this my grandfather replied, "Of course he looks familiar. He has the same physical characteristics passed down through the Greene family for generations."

Now that the silence had been broken, people started talking again and clambering for Edward, trying to get a good look at him, whether they knew who he was or not.

Finally, Mom and Dad were able to get to him. "Edward," my dad said, "You're…You're alive…But how?"

"It's all thanks to Katie," said Edward.

"No, it's all thanks to you," I said, "I could never have done it without your help."

"But all I did was counsel you a bit," said Edward, 'You're the one who performed the transmutation."

"Katie performed a transmutation?" said Mom.

"Yes, she did," said Edward, "She knows alchemy now."

"Incredible!" said my mom.

Without warning, my dad wrapped his arms around Edward and said, "I'm so glad that you came back to us. I'm not going to lose you this time."

Edward apparently couldn't find anything to say. Mom couldn't either, so she just joined in the group hug while shedding tears of joy. I then joined in the group hug.

The idea ran through the crowd like a shockwave, because one by one, they all started joining in the group hug as well. They wanted to make the newcomer feel welcome.

Finally, when everyone tired of hugging and sat back in their seats, Dad looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Katie, you gave us the best Christmas present you could possibly have given us."

I choked back a sob. I was so happy that tears were running down my face, as well as the faces of most of those in the room.

My dad then turned his face back to Edward and said, "Son, welcome home."

**_So ends this fic. I hope that you all enjoyed it. I'll try to get the next fic up by tomorrow or so. I'm thinking of calling it "Me, Myself, and I". So, you can either put me on author alert, or check my profile periodically to see if I've posted it yet._**

**_By the way, I need a little help on this next story. Katie and Ed live in a little town, which means that their Junior High and High school is one building. Frankly, I've never been to a public Junior High or High school, so I could really use some information on what a typical day is like. I was raised most of my school years in private school, and then was homeschooled through my highschool years. So, whenever I make someone go to school in my fics, I'm kind of just guessing. Any help you could give me to make the details more realistic would be most helpful._**

**_Anyway, please review, and I hope to see you again in the sequal! Thanks for your loyalty and encouragement!_**


	13. Chapter 13

My Body, Your Soul (Rewrite)

Chapter One

"Katie! Hurry up!"

I jumped in my seat at the yell. My dad sure knew how to be loud when he wanted to be. It didn't help matters much. I was already stressed out enough from trying to get myself looking perfect for the night ahead.

I brushed out my dark hair as quickly as I could manage. It was Halloween night. I wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. I grabbed a hair net off my dresser and began pushing my hair on top of my head. I wasn't about to dye my hair blond for just one night of trick-or-treating, so a wig was my next best option.

"Katie, what are you doing up there?" my dad yelled, and I winced. "You're going to be late meeting your friends!"

"I'll be right there!" I yelled back while hurrying to my bed. I had laid out my entire costume on the sheets. It was the most awesome Edward Elric cosplay I had ever seen, and I wasn't even wearing it. I grinned and grabbed the tank top, pulling off my own shirt as I did.

I wasn't sure what had driven me to make the costume accurate down to the last detail, but somehow I had pulled it off. Months before October I had considered saving some of my money to buy a replica of Ed's coat, but something had felt wrong about that. I knew it wouldn't be exactly like Ed's coat anyway.

So then I had decided to make myself my own costume and make it as perfect as was humanly possible. I had gone to the secondhand shop in town to try and see if I could find myself any red cloth to make the coat. I figured that sewing Ed's coat would be the best place to start.

And then I had seen it. A long red trench coat sticking out in the men's clothing section of the store. I couldn't help but go over to investigate to help fulfill my curiosity.

The coat was made out of a thick cloth, and looked like it had seen a rough life. Some places near the bottom had worn out and the last owner looked like they had tried to fix it, but their stitches were a little crude. The shoulders of the coat had been faded, as well as a strange spot on the back.

The coat fit me perfectly. It had spooked me out a little that I had gone to the store looking for cloth and found the perfect coat instead, but I had shrugged off the feeling and bought the coat for myself. Attaching my own symbol to the back would be easy enough.

The same pattern continued over the days leading up to Halloween. Every time I thought I would have to make an element of my costume from scratch, a perfect replica would show up in some other way. Even when I had been looking for blond wigs and getting frustrated with none of them matching the exact color, a neighbor down the street came over and said she had found an old blond wig in her attic and was wondering if any of us had a use for it.

I didn't even know why she thought my family would have a use for it out of all her neighbors, but I wasn't one to complain about it. The wig had been the perfect length and color for Ed's hair exactly. It even had the right bangs.

By the time Halloween was only a week away, I had everything I needed for a perfect costume except automail, but I wasn't even thinking I would be able to have an automail arm and leg. I didn't even need it. The rest of my costume covered those limbs well enough.

And then the garbage truck accidentally left a box of old scrap metal by our trash can when the other trash we had put out was picked up. My mom and dad had been considering calling someone to complain, but then I had noticed how the scrap metal had some parts to it that looked perfect for automail. There was no way I wanted to let the garbage truck haul that off to the dump.

_**---End Teaser---**_

_**Yes, I know some of you are absolutely shocked that I've added on a new chapter to this story, but there's a trick to it. This is just a piece of the rewritten first chapter, and I didn't write this. My wonderful friend AdventureAddict did. We got ourselves a joint Fanfiction account a while ago so it would be easier for us to co-author fics together, and for our first project, we each picked a story that the other had completed and are working to rewrite it.**_

_**Interested? The full chapter is on our account Vanilla and Chocolate. You can either do a search for the name, or if you're feeling lazy, it's in my favorite authors list. Go there and read the story, and then subscribe so that you'll be notified when the story is updated, because the updates are not going to come to this account, only to that one.**_

_**You might also be interested in knowing that the story I'm rewriting of hers, "The New Neighbors", is up as well. Check that out too while you're there. I'm sure you'll enjoy both stories immensely if you enjoy my writing style at all. ((And I have improved dramatically since first writing this fic.))**_

_**Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there!**_

_**Melissa  
**_


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